Caught in the Rain
by Automatic Flower
Summary: Kagome and Kouga have been friends since JK. Time passes, and in highschool, Kagome starts dating one called Inuyasha. Unaware of Kouga's feelings, this could only lead to heartache... rated for language.
1. Best Friends Forever

Hi, this is my first fic to be posted on ff.net, please go easy on me!  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter One: Best Friends Forever  
  
A little boy with black hair and blue eyes stood alone in the corner of a kindergarten class, watching all the other kids play and laugh and chatter. The class bully spotted him, and walked over, followed by a bunch of other kids.  
  
"Well look, the loser's all alone." Onigumo sneered. His followers laughed mockingly. Onigumo shoved at the boy with blue eyes, and he toppled over. Just then, a shout rang out.  
  
"Stop it!" Onigumo turned his head to see a girl with blue-brown eyes, and raven black hair tied in two pigtails. He smirked.  
  
"Why should I? You can't stop me!" He advanced on the girl, but stopped abruptly when a crackling pink aura formed around her. Onigumo gasped.  
  
"Y-you're a miko!" The girl's eyes narrowed.  
  
"That's right! Now leave him ALONE!" She hollered in his face. Trembling, Onigumo fled, along with his 'friends'. As the girl watched him go, her aura died down, and she walked up to the boy, who was still on the ground. She offered her hand to help him up. However, the boy with blue just stared. The little girl with pigtails smiled.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." The boy took her hand and got up on his feet. The girl's grin became even wider.  
  
"I'm Kagome by the way, what's your name?"  
  
The boy blushed and stuttered, "K-Kouga..."  
  
"Well, you seem alone, so you can play with me!" Kagome said brightly. Kouga blushed an even deeper shade of red.  
  
"O-okay..." he stammered. Four-year-old Kagome beamed.  
  
"You can be my new best friend!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The phone rang. Kagome Higurashi, 17, grumbled and abandoned her summer break homework to pick it up.  
  
"Kagome speaking."  
  
"Yo, Kag!" The voice at the other end of the line said.  
  
"Hey, Kouga! What's up?" Kagome said, having perked up when hearing her best friend's voice.  
  
"Well, nothin' much. Got bored, so I decided I'd call. Hey you wanna ditch homework and check out the dance club?"  
  
"I'd love to – but... I've only...just started homework..."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I'm kiddin'! I've done most of it already. Yah, I'm free to go. When?"  
  
"'Round six?"  
  
"Hmm..." Kagome glanced at her alarm clock. It was exactly 5:45 PM.  
  
"So can you make it?"  
  
"Sure. How 'bout I'll meet you at the shrine steps in...15 minutes?"  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
"Okay then, see ya!" Kagome hung up, and glanced at her school books laid out on her desk.  
  
"Ah, who cares about homework? Gotta get dressed!" Kagome said to herself as she pulled out some clothes from the closet, looking for something...casual. Cool.  
  
"Ah-hah!" She exclaimed. A few minutes later, she was dressed, with some lip gloss and eyeshadow applied as well. She studied herself in the mirror. Tight black flares, tight white sleeveless shirt that had 'Daredevil' written in curly black, glittering letters on the front, several black wristbands, and hair tied up in a high ponytail, with black platforms. Grabbing her keys, Kagome ran out the door.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yah, I figured it sucks. Please review though!! Oh and Inu/Kag fans, don't worry. Oh yes, Kikyo fans, you might not enjoy reading this fic very much...just to warn you. I am by NO MEANS a Kikyo fan. PLEASE REVIEW!!  
  
~anime-fantasy~ 


	2. Dance! Seeing for the First Time

Aaaah! I cannot believe I forgot to put the disclaimer last time!! Ok, well here it is!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Two: Dance! Seeing for the First Time  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Yo, Kouga!" Kagome called from the top of the shrine steps, while sprinting down them.  
  
"Hey Kag! Ready to go?" Kouga replied. He was wearing black jeans, a blue tee and a black leather jacket. His long black hair was tied into a ponytail and he wore a silver necklace.  
  
"You bet I am! Any else we know coming? Ayame? Sango? Rin?" Kagome asked. Kouga shook his head.  
  
"Not that I know of. They might be there, though...only we don't know." Kagome sighed.  
  
"Too bad..." Kouga raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh nothing...let's go already!"  
  
~*~  
  
The moment Kagome and Kouga walked into the dance club, loud, blaring music reached their ears.  
  
"Sweet..." Kouga commented, looking around. Kagome squinted through the crowd. "Hey Kouga, I think I see some people from school on the dance floor. You wanna check it out?"  
  
Kouga shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, but you can if you want. I'm sorta thirsty, so I think I' gonna grab a drink first, okay?"  
  
"Gotcha." Kagome said as she made her way towards the crowd. As she squished towards the front, many people were talking – seemingly, about one person.  
  
"Whoa, check that out. Kikyo can kick anyone's butt at dancing!"  
  
"Dude – she's Kikyo. She's been doing this all her life."  
  
Kagome finally got to the front. In the middle of the crowd, a girl with long, straight black hair was standing in a triumphant position, while a girl next to her was hanging her head in defeat.  
  
"I, Kikyo, am the champion and dancing!" The girl shouted. The crowd cheered. "Who has the nerve to challenge me?" She threatened. Kagome raised a brow at how self-confident this girl was.  
  
"I will." Kagome stepped up. Some people in the crowd snickered. Kikyo smirked.  
  
"A challenger. You do know that I have beaten every single person who challenged me right?"  
  
"Until now." Kagome retorted, with her own smirk. Kikyo's eye twitched.  
  
"Ooh...you're gonna it, wench." Kikyo nodded at the DJ.  
  
"Let the music begin!" As the beats started, the two begin dancing, each with their own unique moves. Kikyo's eyes narrowed as she saw that Kagome was beating her. The crowd looked on in awe.  
  
"Whoa, that girl's beating Kikyo!"  
  
"That isn't just a girl. That's Kagome Higurashi!"  
  
"She's good!"  
  
Kagome started increasing her speed. Her body moved to the beat, naturally.  
  
'Damn!' Kikyo cursed mentally. 'That bitch is beating me! She WILL NOT win!'  
  
As the song went on, Kagome was rapidly overthrowing Kikyo. Getting desperate, Kikyo decided to make thing go her way. Glancing at Kagome first, Kikyo stuck out her foot, making Kagome stumble. Barely managing to stay up, Kagome glared at Kikyo, who had seized the chance to catch up.  
  
"You..." Kagome hissed. Keeping in mind to get her back somehow for what she did, Kagome started dancing again, so fast she turned into a whirl of colour and movement. Kikyo shot Kagome a look of death. Both were dancing like they had never danced before. Even more people crowded around.  
  
~*~  
  
A boy the age of 17 stood chatting with his friend beside the bar in the dance club. Of course, his was doing most of the chatting...about topics he'd rather not discuss.  
  
"Spotted any chicks yet?"  
  
"I'm not looking, and I don't want to."  
  
"Aw, come on!"  
  
"Miroku, that's your hobby, not mine. Ok?!"  
  
"Jeez Yasha, you're no fun!"  
  
"Number one: DON'T CALL ME YASHA. Number two: Get. A. Life. Unlike you, I can stand it without having some chick dangling off my arm for a while, ok?"  
  
"Ah-hah! You said 'a while'!"  
  
Inu-Yasha groaned. Merely out of boredom, he looked over his attire. Baggy black jeans, tight red shirt with the sleeves ripped off. His friend Miroku was wearing black jeans and a purple dress shirt...  
  
"What is it with you and purple dress shirts?"  
  
"You forgot with an unbuttoned top button."  
  
"Ugh...never mind, don't answer." Inu-Yasha said...unfortunately Miroku wasn't listening. Instead, he was looking towards at a crowd which had gathered around a dance floor, where people were cheering.  
  
"You wanna check it out?" Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.  
  
"Sure."  
  
Approaching the crowd, they realized they couldn't see anything being at the back. Glancing at each other, they both raised their eyebrows at the same time. Miroku jerked his head towards the front of the crowd, indicating they make their way up. Squeezing through the crowd, they came upon two girls (who looked very much alike) dancing at the speed of light. (A/N: Well not exactly...^_^" But you get what I mean.)  
  
Miroku immediately began cheering as well, along with the crowd, but Inu- Yasha was staring at the girl with shoulder-length, raven black hair tied into a high ponytail and dazzling blue-brown eyes. A spell seemed to be cast over him.  
  
Meanwhile, Kikyo and Kagome were still trying to overthrow each other...only Kikyo was starting to fall behind again.  
  
"You little- !" Kikyo kicked out while doing a spin, only to have Kagome leap up into the air, legs bent.  
  
"Heh," Kagome smirked, landing just as the song stopped.  
  
"I win," Kagome announced, giving Kikyo a piercing stare. Kikyo's jaw dropped.  
  
"OH MY GOD!! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!" Kikyo screeched as everyone covered their ears. Kagome winced and she mouthed 'ow'. However, Kikyo continued to scream.  
  
"YOU MUST HAVE CHEATED!! YOU COULD NOT HAVE BEATEN ME!! YOU SO CHEATED KAGOME HIGURASHI!! YOU CHEATED, I SWEAR YOU DID!!!" Kagome raised an eyebrow.  
  
'So that girl's name is Kagome Higurashi...' Inu-Yasha thought to himself, making a mental note.  
  
"I cheated when you tried to trip me?" Kagome drawled. Kikyo stiffened.  
  
"How dare you accuse me of trying to trip you! I, Kikyo, the greatest dancer, would only do things the fair way!" She exclaimed, placing her hand on her chest indicating to herself. People in the crowd snickered, while some gave fake coughs.  
  
Kagome raised her eyebrow even further. "Right. You keep telling yourself that..." she said as she walked off towards the snack bar, grabbing a glass of punch. The crowd finally dispersed, still muttering.  
  
"Kagome can really dance, eh?"  
  
"You bet! I wonder if she'll say yes if I ask her out?"  
  
Kagome was on her second glass of punch when Kouga came up to her.  
  
"Everyone's talking about you." He said, grabbing some punch too.  
  
Kagome shrugged. "I beat Kikyo in a dance match. No biggy." Kouga grinned.  
  
"You always say that. You said that last time you broke your arm!" Kagome punched his arm playfully.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Just then, someone called out Kouga's name.  
  
"Kouga!" Someone came jogging over, waving their hand.  
  
"Ayame-chan!" Kagome exclaimed hugging her red-haired friend. Her friend hugged her back.  
  
Kagome held her at an arm's length.  
  
"Oh! I haven't seen you for so long!"  
  
"I'm so sorry, but I've been having some issues with my parents..." Ayame rolled her eyes, then turned to Kouga.  
  
"Kouga!!" She cried out throwing her arms around him. Kouga awkwardly patted her back, shooting Kagome a glance to say 'get her off me!'. Kagome smirked and walked off.  
  
~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha gazed around the room for the girl who had captured his attention...not to mention heart. Finally spotting the raven haired beauty near the bar, he walked up to her.  
  
"Yo," he said, leaning onto the counter next to her. Kagome raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Hi?"  
  
"I'm Inu-Yasha."  
  
"Ooh...Inu-Yasha! I know you! You attend Shikon High, right?" She said, expression clearing.  
  
"You do too?"  
  
"Well duh. Most people here do...it's basically the only high school around here!"  
  
"True..."  
  
"So...can I help you?"  
  
"You can go out with me." Kagome raised her eyebrow again.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said- "  
  
"No, no. I heard what you said. Why do wanna go out with me?"  
  
"Do I need a reason?" "To date me, yes." Inu-Yasha blinked stupidly. Every girl he asked out just gave an immediate 'yes'. He took a few seconds before composing himself again.  
  
"Ok. You wanna know why? 'Cause I like you, Kagome. You're cute. So you wanna go out with me?" Kagome pondered for a moment.  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
"Cool. Tomorrow at 3, ok?"  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
"So you wanna dance?" Kagome looked over at him and grinned.  
  
"You bet I do."  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
There, go ahead and tell me what a crappy author I am...T_T. But this is my first time. I know the chapters are really short. Forgive me!  
  
~anime-fantasy~ 


	3. The Date

Omg, thank you to everyone who reviewed!! *Hands a cookie to all the reviewers* Review responses will be at the end of this chappie. Thanks a bunch!!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha T_T  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Three: The Date  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Kagome, dear, where are you going?"  
  
Kagome paused at the front door.  
  
"Eh? Oh...out." Kagome hesitated. Mrs. Higurashi blinked.  
  
"Yes, I can see that you're going 'out', but out where?" Kagome gulped.  
  
"Out...out..." Mrs. Higurashi scrutinized her daughter.  
  
"...Yes?"  
  
"...Out...out..." Kagome's mother sighed in exasperation.  
  
"Kagome! Just say it already!"  
  
"Erm...*gulp*...I'm...that is...going...out!" Kagome burst out.  
  
"KAGOME! I KNOW YOU'RE GOING OUT- ooh, okay, never mind." Mrs. Higurashi left it at that, and strolled into the kitchen humming. Kagome stood in the same spot, a little lost.  
  
'What? I didn't even say where – HOLY CRAP! I SAID IT IN THE WRONG WAY!! DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!!' She cursed under her breath, walking out the front door, only to rush back in remembering to bring her keys. (^_^;)  
  
~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha examined himself in his full-length mirror. He was dressed in baggy, navy blue jeans, a black tee and a white sweater with a pouch-pocket and hood that had a black dragon on the front. Nodding, he grabbed his keys, speeding down the stairs...  
  
...to be stopped by his half-brother.  
  
"And where would you be going?" Sesshoumaru asked. Sesshoumaru had white hair, rather pale skin, claws, fangs, demon ears, amber eyes, two stripes on each side of his face, and a crescent moon on his forehead. (A/N: Phew, got that aside. But you all know what Sesshoumaru looks like already...T_T...all that for nothing!). He was in faded blue jeans and a white button-up/dress shirt (without the collar buttoned up, mind you. Sesshy is cool...not in a punk-style way. Go for the...mature cool...) with half-length sleeves.  
  
Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why would you care?"  
  
"I don't."  
  
"Then why are you asking?"  
  
"Because you haven't finished all your school homework, have you?"  
  
"...I can't."  
  
"Can't what, exactly?"  
  
"Can't do that stuff right now. I've got a date waiting for me."  
  
"Who is it this time? Ruki? Chizu? Kisa? Yura? Or the American one? Or the other girl who was completely obsessed about you?"  
  
"Neither of them. Yura turned out to be a bitch, Ruki was really hyper, Chizu kept getting drunk and Kisa worried too much about her studies. The American one, she was really cute, but she started dating some other American guy."  
  
"Well who is it?"  
  
"Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."  
  
"Oh her..." Sesshoumaru nodded. "Then you can go."  
  
Inu-Yasha stared at his brother without moving, even long after Sesshoumaru had walked off.  
  
'Huh?'  
  
It was only when Sesshoumaru turned on the TV, causing noise to erupt, which brought Inu-Yasha back to reality. Glancing down at his watch, it read '3:07'.  
  
"Holy crap, I'm late!!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Kagome stood in the park, waiting for her 'date' to arrive. She was in the shade of a sakura tree, watching random people going through the park. She took out her watch-necklace. It was in the shape of a sakura flower, which was silver, and was attached to a silver chain as well.  
  
It was currently 3:11 and Inu-Yasha still wasn't here. She started walking off. Did he really expect her to wait for him? Or had he just thrown her off, having found some hotter chick? It was possible. That's when she heard someone call out her name.  
  
"Kagome! Wait up!" She turned around, to see Inu-Yasha running up to her. When he reached her, he leaned over, panting. Kagome raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Took you long enough." Inu-Yasha glared at her.  
  
"I had to RUN from my house all the way here, because my car is still being fixed! You got a problem with that?" Kagome shrugged.  
  
"It's rude to keep a girl waiting you know." Inu-Yasha muttered under his breath, now that he had regained it.  
  
"Rude, my ass."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. She doubted she was going to enjoy this. She decided to ignore his comment.  
  
"So where are we going?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"You don't know?" Kagome repeated.  
  
"Where do you wanna go?"  
  
"Hmm..." Kagome lit up as an idea hit her. Inu-Yasha blanched.  
  
'Uh oh...not a smart thing to do! Should NOT have let her decide! No! Don't say- '  
  
"Let's hit the mall!"  
  
Inu-Yasha groaned.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome was practically skipping through the mall, while Inu-Yasha trailed behind her. Kagome pointed to a clothing store, and practically squealed.  
  
"Oooh!" She ran into the store. Inu-Yasha slapped himself on the forehead.  
  
'I just HAD to let HER choose where to go, hadn't I? And now I regret it...do I?'  
  
Inu-Yasha followed her in, taking a seat beside one of the dressing rooms.  
  
'Hmmm,' Kagome thought, taking a blue tube top off of it's rack. She then selected a pair of baggy white pants, a red shirt with one thick strap, a pair of tight black jeans, a lavender knee-length skirt, and a white tank top with 'Angel' on it, a pair of beige capris and a green short sleeved shirt. 'Wonderful!' She took her selections to a dressing room. Inu-Yasha waited in boredom.  
  
About five minutes later, Kagome came out, dressed in the blue tube top and baggy white pants.  
  
"How's this?"  
  
Inu-Yasha tilted his head to the side, examining the outfit. He nodded.  
  
(Now, repeat this process until all Kag's outfits have been tried on and modelled).  
  
Kagome paid for all her things, and exited, Inu-Yasha dragging himself behind her.  
  
"Don't tell me we're going to another clothing store? You spent an hour in there already! Besides, I'm hungry!" Inu-Yasha whined. Kagome rolled her eyes.  
  
"Fine, fine. I got to where I wanted to, you can choose now." Inu-Yasha grinned.  
  
"Let's go EAT!" Kagome sighed, shaking her head.  
  
"So immature. My little brother's more mature than you are!" Inu-Yasha shook his head.  
  
"I'm just really bored and hungry."  
  
"Mm-hmm."  
  
Walking through the mall, they passed many couples out on dates, it seemed. Some guys had their arms around the girl's waist, others were browsing in stores, and the rest seemed to be...well...walking. Inu-Yasha fidgeted awkwardly.  
  
'I've been on a million other dates before, WHY am I nervous?! Is it because Kagome is different from other girls, who...well...'  
  
'Drool all over you?'  
  
'WHO, the hell, are YOU?'  
  
'Your sub-consciousness at your service.'  
  
'You meant to my annoyance, right?'  
  
'Suck it up, dude.'  
  
'Keh.'  
  
'Seems like you're all awkward today.'  
  
'...'  
  
'Just because Kagome doesn't idolize you and fantasize about you either. Not used to it, huh? Not like the other girl who's completely obsessed about you.'  
  
'Who?'  
  
'Kikyo, or what's-her-face.'  
  
'Kikyo doesn't DROOL all over me!'  
  
'No, she slobbers...she drools BIG time.'  
  
'GET THE FREAK OUTTA MY HEAD!!'  
  
'No can do.'  
  
'WELL THEN LEAVE ME ALONE!!'  
  
'Nyah nyah to you too.'  
  
"SHUT UP!!" Inu-Yasha screamed out loud. Kagome stared at him.  
  
"I didn't say anything!" Inu-Yasha blinked.  
  
"Huh?" Kagome huffed.  
  
"You told me to 'shut up' when I didn't say anything!"  
  
"Ugh...it wasn't directed at you...never mind..." Kagome raised her eyebrows.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just drop it already!" Kagome huffed again.  
  
"Well, aren't you rude!" Inu-Yasha glared at her. They had long stopped walking, and were beginning to draw some attention.  
  
"HOW AM I RUDE?!"  
  
"YOU JUST SCREAMED 'SHUT UP' AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY! AND IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS DIRECTED AT ME, AS THERE IS NO ONE ELSE HERE! I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO CALL YOU RUDE!!" Kagome yelled in his face.  
  
"DON'T CALL ME RUDE, WENCH!"  
  
"DON'T CALL ME WENCH, BASTARD!!" Kagome screamed back at him and stomped off. People in the crowd began muttering.  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
"The poor girl, I feel sorry for her."  
  
"He's being such a jerk!"  
  
Inu-Yasha shook his head, ignoring the whispers, and ran off in search of Kagome.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome stomped through the mall, oblivious to where she was going. She almost walked into a shopping cart. Muttering under her breath, she continued on her trek to no-where.  
  
"He is SUCH a jerk! WHY did I agree to go out with him?! Rrrgh!" She walked pass an ice cream parlour. A few seconds later, she walked back, backwards, looking in the window.  
  
"Ice cream! That'll help me feel better!" She entered the tiny shop. Inside were several round tables with some high stools on them. The walls were painted in rainbow colours.  
  
"Oh how cute!" Kagome said to herself. A man behind the counter spotted Kagome.  
  
"May I take your order, miss?" Kagome studied all the flavours carefully.  
  
"I'd like a strawberry-vanilla ice cream cone with chocolate flakes and sprinkles, please."  
  
"Comin' right up."  
  
Kagome sat down on one of the little stools by the counter, which were placed apart from the tables. When her order was ready, she paid for her ice cream, and sat down again.  
  
'Maybe I was little too harsh...he did say he didn't tell me to shut up...maybe I shouldn't have called him rude...' Kagome sighed. 'I probably overreacted...' she didn't notice as a bunch of guys walked in, and walked up behind her.  
  
"Yo, check it out, it's that girl who at the dance club last night." Kagome turned around.  
  
"What the...?" One guy put their arm around her shoulders.  
  
"You wanna hang out with us?" He smirked. Kagome gagged in disgust, kicking him in the crotch. He cried out in pain.  
  
"You're going to pay for that!"  
  
He was about to swing his fist when he collapsed on the ground. Kagome looked up to see Inu-Yasha.  
  
"Don't ever lay another finger on my girl again. Now beat it." They scurried away. Kagome dusted her shoulders off. Inu-Yasha turned to her.  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Umm...look, I...well, sorry."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For getting you pissed and all that." Kagome shook her head.  
  
"I should be apologizing too."  
  
"..."  
  
"Well, let's just...forget about it, kay?"  
  
"Sure." Inu-Yasha shrugged. Kagome took out her watch-necklace again. It was 4:52. She felt like going home.  
  
"So..." Inu-Yasha started.  
  
"Let's call it quits for today. I'm not really in the mood to stay out much longer, and I'm wearing platforms, which are killing me. Some other time ok?"  
  
Inu-Yasha's shoulders slumped. "Can I walk you home?"  
  
"Sure, I guess. I mean, you don't have to, if you don't wanna."  
  
"Well I want to."  
  
Kagome smiled.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Right here, Inu-Yasha." Kagome stopped at the base of the shrine steps. Inu-Yasha looked up the steps to the top.  
  
"Okay then. I guess I'll be seeing you at school then?" Kagome nodded.  
  
"See you then, Inu-Yasha!" Kagome waved, running up the shrine steps and out of sight.  
  
Inu-Yasha sighed. They had only been out for hardly more than an hour or so. He started on his walk back home.  
  
~*~  
  
"I'm home!" Kagome called out, closing the door behind her. The house was silent. That is, until she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.  
  
"Eh?" Kouga appeared at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Kouga?!" Kagome exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Where's everyone else?" Kouga picked up Kagome's bags, helping her carry them upstairs.  
  
"Oh. Well, my parents are out on a business trip, and since they don't trust me with the house anymore...well...I have to stay here for a day or two." Kagome started laughing, recalling the last time his parents went on a business trip, leaving him with the house. He had simply decided to throw a party, inviting about 20 people. The next morning, when his parents had come home, they had found a complete disaster and a half-drunk Kouga asleep on the couch.  
  
After regaining her composure, Kagome asked, "So where's everyone else?" She opened the door to her room.  
  
"Some kind of festival thing. They aren't getting back 'till...quite a while." He said, glancing at the alarm clock/radio on Kagome's bedside table.  
  
[Kagome's room is gonna be a little different from in the anime and manga ok? It's painted lavender and a bit of light blue. The door is on the left, front. Your view is of what it would be at the door. A four-post bed with lavender and white hangings is in the middle, back. On the left of the bed is a long wooden desk. There's a bedside table, which is wooden and has a white alarm clock/radio on it and a lava lamp on it (blue and purple, the metal parts are silver). On the right of the bedside table, in the corner, are a bunch of stuffed animals. On the right, middle, is a wooden bookshelf stacked with books. In the right front, is a built-in closet painted blue. Some beanbag chairs are scattered around the room. There are four beanbag chairs: dark blue, lavender, light blue, light violet]  
  
Kagome flopped down on her four-post bed. Kouga sat down in a light blue beanbag chair.  
  
"So where'd you go?" Kagome's voice was slightly muffled by a pillow.  
  
"Out."  
  
"Well duh, out! Tell me something I don't know."  
  
"With Inu-Yasha." Kouga blinked.  
  
"Like, on a date?"  
  
"What else?" Kouga smirked.  
  
"How was it?"  
  
"Boring mostly. I went and got some new clothes (Kouga rolls his eyes here), Inu-Yasha mysteriously yells out 'shut up' to no one in particular, we get into a fight, I go to an ice cream parlour, I get surrounded by a bunch of guys who are trying to get to go with them (insert Kouga's "What?!" in here), Inu-Yasha comes to the rescue...he walks me home. That's all. Literally. That's everything."  
  
"That has got to be the shortest, plainest date in history." Kouga said, getting up.  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
Kagome huffed, and sat up. Her stomach growled. Kouga burst out laughing, falling to his knees and rolling on the floor. Kagome sweatdropped.  
  
"You've got problems, you know that?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Woohoo!! How was it? I've got a few chapters already written, that's why I'm currently updating rather quickly...^_^;. But I've got the basic storyline planned, so updating shouldn't be too much of a problem. I think. -_-;;; I'm so pathetic.  
  
There, this chapter was longer than the others. I'll try to make them a good length. ^_^  
  
Kellie: Yeah, I'm aware of how few K/K/I stories there are, and it's disappointing. I like Kag/Inu, but Kouga/Kag is nice too. I know, I know, Kag and Inu are 'meant' for each other, but if other people can come up with Kag/Naraku, you can't blame me for liking Kouga/Kag, right? So I decided to make this K/K/I, for the Kouga/Kag and Kag/Inu fans out there. ^.^ Yay me! ^_^;  
  
Zero2-the-scyther: Here's the update for the cute story you're reading! Hehe...^_^;;  
  
Emily: Whoa, two people have said my story is cool! Yay! Yes, I'm rather hyper at the moment, I mean, who wouldn't be, logging into their email account and seeing 10 reviews for their very first fic with only 2 chapters?! Maybe that excludes some people, but certainly not me!  
  
Cat: You hate it when people type 'Inuyasha' as well? Same here!! Rrrgh, it's so irritating! I can assure you that I hate Kikyo, Kagome's ok, but I actually prefer Sango. Thank you for reviewing! =)  
  
Ashley: Yes, I have to admit, there are many more authors far better than I. Oh well, I still give it my best. ^.^  
  
sess.love: Wow, I'm getting so many more reviews than I thought I would, and people complimenting my story XD. I feel so loved!! Thanx for reviewing!!  
  
Rushyuo: Yes, I do realize how OOC Kouga is in my fic, but for this fic, he's gotta be like this. XD Yes, he does stay nice, but only to people he likes...isn't that with everyone? Basically everyone is pretty nice here, except for a few...which you'll see soon enough. ^.^ Thanks for reviewing!!  
  
Smurf2005: I'm glad that you like my fic so far!! Thanks for reviewing!! ^- ^  
  
inuyashafan713: It's a cute story *_*?! Why thank you!! Here was the update you asked for =^-^=  
  
lid: Yay! My story's cool!! XD Sweet, I'm actually getting reviews!! Did you enjoy the chapter you 'couldn't wait for'? Hehe...^_^;; Sorry, this is my first-ever fic and I'm surprised I got ANY reviews. Arigatou! =D 


	4. Pocky and Roller Blading Equals Fun

Oh sweet! I got more reviews! As some of you may know, this fic was updated everyday so far. However, I might not be able to continue that, this week anyways. I've got two REALLY important tests coming up, and also, my parents are getting pissed at me for being on the computer so much. *Sigh* Anyways, please enjoy this chappie! ^.^  
  
Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Four: Pocky and Roller Blading equals Fun  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome huffed as she glanced at Kouga who was still rolling on the floor, laughing his head off. She picked up a circular pillow and threw it at his head. He stopped in mid-laugh, glaring at her. He threw the pillow back at her. This was how their pillow fight began.  
  
^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^_^  
  
"Where's all the food in your house, Kag?!" Kouga exclaimed as he nosed through the empty refrigerator. Kagome meanwhile, was searching through the cupboards.  
  
"Umm...I found some chips here...there should be some soda in the basement- OH YAH!! I keep all the snacks in the basement fridge!" Kagome snapped her fingers as it came to her, and she raced to the basement. Kouga shook his head and sighed in exasperation, and headed down to the basement as well.  
  
(Kag probably doesn't have a basement in the anime/manga but then again, this is MY fic, MY ways. I'll never own them, but I can alter them ^^ Hee.)  
  
"Ta-daa!" Kagome exclaimed as she opened the fridge door. It was stuffed with soda, chocolate milk, milkshakes, fruit punch, some fruit, yogurt, cakes, ice cream, popsicles, and slushies. And a few bottles of champagne for special occasions. (^.^)  
  
Kouga stared wide eyed, unblinking. Kagome sweatdropped.  
  
"You've seen all this stuff before, Kouga..." He blinked. But still stared. Kagome took out an ice cube and threw it at him.  
  
"Gah! COLD!!" He yelled as it fell down his shirt. He ran around in circles, flailing his arms in the air. Kagome grabbed a can of Sprite and flopped down on the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.  
  
[The basement has the stairs and door on the right. On the left-back is the fridge, in front of that is the green couch. In front of the couch is a beige coffee table. In front of the coffee table, on the left-front is a widescreen TV. Beside the TV, on the right, is a wooden, long computer desk with a computer on it. The computer chair is a blue rolling chair with five wheels. Anime posters are all over the walls.]  
  
Kagome flipped through the channels. Cartoons (anime), news, horror movie, commercials, anime, anime, and the weather.  
  
'Nothing to watch...' Kagome whined in her head while taking a sip from her Sprite. Meanwhile, Kouga had taken care of the ice cube and sat down on the couch with a bag of chips. He was going to have a fudgesicle...but after the ice cube episode, nuh uh. No way.  
  
"Aah! This is so boring!" Kagome yelled as she turned the TV off.  
  
::Silence::  
  
"Umm..."  
  
Kouga shook his head in disbelief.  
  
"Umm..." Kagome repeated.  
  
"Do you have any homework left?" Kouga tried, his attempt successful.  
  
"I've still got some math. You?"  
  
"Same."  
  
"Math sucks..." Kagome commented as she got up from the couch, and made her way upstairs, Kouga closely following. Kouga grabbed his duffel bag from the front hallway, and started fishing around it for his math textbook and binder. Kagome had to go upstairs to get her things.  
  
"Where ya wanna work?" Kagome yelled from her room.  
  
"Kitchen?"  
  
"Okay then." Kagome reappeared, with her textbook, notebook and pencil case. Kouga got his things and sat down at the huge kitchen table. Kagome was already spreading her books out.  
  
"Oh my god, there's so much!" Kagome whined.  
  
"Stop whining, you always get a good mark anyway!"  
  
"Not in math! I don't get this stuff!"  
  
"That's what you said last time, and you got full marks on the test!"  
  
"That was just luck!"  
  
"But you always say that!"  
  
"But it always is!"  
  
"If it's always luck, then it isn't luck anymore! It's skill!"  
  
"But I don't have skill!"  
  
"YOU?! Not have SKILL?!"  
  
"...Fine, but it's just LUCK in math!!"  
  
Kagome didn't even realize she had already done half of it while talking. Kouga, however, didn't let this go by without being noticed.  
  
"Look Kag, you already did half of it!"  
  
"...Well...it's just easy this time!"  
  
"You just said that you didn't get it!!"  
  
"Fine, fine, fine! You've proved your point already." Kagome slumped into her seat, still writing away.  
  
*  
  
"Done!" Kagome stretched in her seat.  
  
"Finally." Kouga mumbled.  
  
"Oh yah...I gotta go get something!" Kagome jumped up from her chair, rushing downstairs. Kouga looked around the kitchen.  
  
'Hasn't changed a bit since we were little...Kagome sorta has though...she's a lot prettier, even though she was so cute when she was little. Ever since the first day I met her - '  
  
"Back!" Kagome squealed. She was carrying several boxes of...  
  
...Pocky. She also seemed very giddy. How many boxes did she already eat?  
  
Kagome tossed a box of chocolate Pocky to Kouga while opening a box of vanilla Pocky for herself. Tearing open the pouches, she chomped down the contents.  
  
Kouga watched her devour the Pocky. An idea struck him.  
  
"Yo, Kag."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You wanna go rollerblading?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, it might be a good idea since you're so hyper ("I'M NOT HYPER!!" Kagome yelled), and since I brought my rollerblades here anyway."  
  
"Hmm...why not?" Kagome grinned. "But I get to bring the Pocky."  
  
Kouga slapped his forehead.  
  
~*~  
  
In less than 15 minutes, Kagome and Kouga were racing down the streets. Kagome decided to change into one of her new outfits; baggy white pants and a blue tubetop. She had black rollerblades with blue buckles. Kouga wore dark blue jeans a plain white, short sleeves shirt, and had black rollerblades with forest green buckles. Of course, neither of them wore any protection. Kagome however, carried a pouch with her precious Pocky in it.  
  
"Woohoo!" Kagome yelled out, waving her arms in the air. They sped along the streets, and turned, entering a local park. Kagome slowed down so Kouga could catch up.  
  
"Kagome *pant* slow - down!" Kouga hollered from behind her. Kagome drew back and circled around Kouga.  
  
"Can't catch up? Hehe..." Kagome smirked. Kouga whacked her over the head.  
  
"Well, you're running high on sugar, and I'm not!" Kagome tilted her head thoughtfully.  
  
"Good point. Want some Pocky?" She asked, pulling out a box. Kouga sweatdropped.  
  
"No thank you..."  
  
The two skated through the park, avoiding obstacles like trees, park benches, people and dogs. Kagome was going backwards, and nearly fell into a rose bush. Kouga found this extremely funny, and had another laughing fit. Kagome seized this chance to whack him on the head a few times. An hour later, they finally decided to go home.  
  
Kagome unlocked the front door, stepping in.  
  
"Looks like their still not home...oh well, guess we'll have to make dinner ourselves..." Kagome sighed. Kouga unbuckled his rollerblades, then kicked them off.  
  
"We have to make dinner ourselves? Aww man...can't we order a pizza or something?!"  
  
"No. After last time, no way is Mom gonna let me order stuff again!"  
  
"Ugh..."  
  
"Hey, I don't wanna make dinner myself but you don't see me complaining!"  
  
Kouga grunted in reply. Kagome walked to the kitchen, Kouga dragging himself along. Kagome opened the fridge, looking for something to eat, that preferably, didn't have to be cooked. Something that could just be heated up...  
  
"There's nothing in the fridge. Can you check the cupboard over your head for some ramen?" Kouga sighed and opened the cupboard door.  
  
"Yah...there's some left...what flavour?"  
  
"Is there any beef?" Kagome asked, closing the refrigerator door behind her. Kouga pulled out two packages.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Okay...now we have to boil some water...which takes a long time..."  
  
"Not really. You're just impatient."  
  
"Shut up!" Kagome punched his arm lightly. Kouga faked a whine.  
  
~*~  
  
"Finally full..." Kagome sighed happily as she collapsed onto her bed, Kouga doing the same onto a blue beanbag chair. Kagome glanced at the alarm clock. 8:05 PM. Pretty early actually. Didn't stop her from being sleepy. She yawned.  
  
"Mmmfh...Kouga...you go sleep in the guest room or someplace else...I'm going to *yawn*...sleep..." Kouga gawked at her.  
  
"You're sleepy already?!"  
  
Kagome threw a pillow at him.  
  
"Yes! Now go before I pummel you with a pillow again!" Kouga left the room, muttering. Kagome fell back, trying to sleep but found it uncomfortable in the clothes she was wearing. She grunted, got up, and pulled out her pj's from the closet. Her pj's were made of fleece, white, and had mini baby blue moons and stars on them, as well as 'Zzz...' scattered around, which was also, in baby blue.  
  
"Soft..." Kagome mumbled as she buttoned up the shirt, and sunk into her bed, pulling the lavender sheets up to her chin. She was asleep in three minutes flat, dreaming about Pocky.  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga was seated, cross-legged on the bed in the guest bedroom, with his duffel bag and roller blades in one corner.  
  
"Who goes to sleep this early?"  
  
"Kagome I guess..." Kouga answered for himself. With a sigh, he leaned back on the many pillows.  
  
'She's going out now...for the first time in her life.' He turned over onto his side, head resting on his arm.  
  
'Kag...she's growing up.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yay! There ya go!! Chap. Four up, and...many more to go -_-;; Oh well. I'll try to update as soon as possible – but I can't assure you I'll be updating very soon. Unless I sneak on the computer, or update without putting review responses. If I sneak on, I'll probably be grounded for the rest of the month. You review, you decide. Or, wait, and wait, and wait. _ I hate waiting. But that's just me.  
  
Rushyuo: Actually, I have! Truth is, I am a girl. ^.^ But I've also gone with friends, and yes, we all take hours and hours there!! But...it funny to see other people who have their hands twitching cause they just wanna strangle you on the spot, since you're taking a century. Hehe! ^^;  
  
Ryuki*Starr: Yes, I finally posted on ff.net! Yah, yah, I know you told me to long ago, but I wanted to have some chapters done first. The other fic, I still gotta write like, 3 chappers before I start posting. Thnx for reviewing!! Kagome503: Is my fic really that cute? Awww, thanks!! =^-^=  
  
Smurf2005: Yeah, the fic started out pretty...dull. I promise that it'll get a lot better later on. The plot has to build up too, so...yeah. I've already started reading your fic! It's good! ^-^  
  
Sihara: Thank you, thank you. *Bows* I've never been told my fic was hilarious. Thnx so much!! XD Yeah, I get a lot of people saying I've got mental difficulties. o_O But if I actually did, I wouldn't be able to write this fic! Oh well, there are all sorts of people in the world...*sigh* Thnx for reviewing!! ^.^ 


	5. Schooldays Can Really Suck

It's been so long since I've updated! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Gomenasai! But like I've said, I just finished two major tests this week, and there's another one on Monday...! Eurgh, life is unfair. Oh well. *Sigh* At least you can enjoy this chapter for now. I'll try to update as soon as possible. But, I've got no more finished chappers left, and I've come down with a fever. My nose is stuffed, my throat is parched, and my head throbs. No, I'm not feeling very spiffy...Oh well. I'll try my best. Thnx to all the reviewers.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha. It's called FANfiction for a reason. T_T  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Five: Schooldays Can Really Suck  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The alarm read 7:30.  
  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
  
*Crash*  
  
BeeeeEEeeep.  
  
"Uuugh..." Kagome pulled herself up, sunlight shining through the window, making her squint.  
  
BeeeEEEEeeeeeeep. Kagome glanced at her disabled alarm clock. Pulling out the plug, she decided to deal with that later. Why were alarm clocks invented anyway?  
  
To make people who aren't morning people, like Kagome, wake up. (No, really. Psh, what else?!)  
  
Who cares, either way, they're plain annoying.  
  
Walking across the hall to the washroom (which took about three steps), she got in and locked the door behind her. Turning on the water and undressing, Kagome took a quick, morning shower. Turning the water off, she shivered, grabbing her towel, and wrapping it around herself. After brushing her teeth, pulling her hair into a ponytail, she re-entered her own room, pulling out a pair of dark blue, denim jeans and a short sleeve, white shirt with 'Daydream' on it. Grabbing her backpack and a dark blue denim jean jacket, she ran downstairs, to meet her mother and her brother Souta who was already having breakfast. Looking out the window, she noticed that her grandpa had already finished breakfast and was sweeping the shrine grounds.  
  
"Ohayou!" Souta greeted. Stupid morning people. Kagome could have sworn she was adopted...sighing, she sat down at the kitchen table.  
  
"Ohayou..." Kagome replied grabbing some toast. Her mother looked up from her chore.  
  
"Is Kouga up yet?" Kagome blinked at her mom, the piece of toast still in her mouth. She slapped her forehead.  
  
"Oh crap!" She swore absently, the toast falling from her mouth. Her brother faked a dramatic gasp, and her mother gave her a stern look.  
  
"Kagome, don't swear! Especially not in front of your younger brother!" Kagome rolled her eyes.  
  
"Mama, Souta's 13 already! In grade seven! You should listen to how much HE swears over the phone!!" Souta shot Kagome a dirty look while Kagome simply smirked. Mrs. Higurashi turned her attention to Souta with narrowed eyes, who in return, gave a nervous laugh. Kagome chuckled and went back upstairs to maul Kouga for making them possibly late.  
  
"Kooou-ga!" Kagome yelled, knocking on the door of the guest bedroom. There was a muffled reply. "Kouga!" Kagome yelled again. Rolling her eyes, she opened the door, to find Kouga asleep, clad in nothing but boxers, sprawled out, pillows on the ground, sheets in a jumble at the foot of the bed. Kagome's eye twitched. Marching up to the bed, Kagome grabbed his ear, screaming into it.  
  
"KOUGA, GET UP YOU LAZY BUM!!" Kouga cracked an eye open, rubbed his ear, and started snoring again. Kagome was about to have a fit when an idea struck her. Dragging him by his ear to the washroom, she turned the shower on to cold, full blast, and dragged his torso over the edge of the tub, freezing cold water spraying over him.  
  
His eyes snapped open. "COLD!!" Kouga hollered, jumping out of the tub, only to face Kagome, who was leering at him. 'She looks like the devil...' Kouga mentally pointed out, but kept his mouth shot, afraid to have boiling water dumped on him next.  
  
"Get ready for school or FACE MY WRATH..." Kagome hissed from the doorway, glaring at him, and shut the door with a snap.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Kagome-chan!" Someone yelled. Kagome turned around while Kouga looked over his shoulder at who was calling. Sango came running over, and gave Kagome a big hug.  
  
"I'm back!" She squealed. Kagome started laughing and jumping up and down, hugging her friend back.  
  
"You've been gone sooo long! How was the trip?" Sango had gone back her hometome, Kyoto for three months. Life was boring without your best friend. 'At least Kouga was here. My two best friends are back now!'  
  
"It was a blast!" Sango exclaimed, and started going on about her trip. Kouga trailed behind the two girls. Even though he and Kagome had been best friends since kindergarten, Sango was just a normal friend. He listened with mild interest to Sango's story while Kagome soaked in every single word. She had sure missed Sango while she was gone. Now things were back to normal...except that Kagome was going out now. Would she still have enough time to spend with her friends?  
  
"...and so Kohaku was trapped in the elevator, since it was stuck. But I mean, it was a deserted building, so no one was there! And my parents were at our old house! So I had to run up the stairs, to the twelfth floor, and pry the elevator door open! I swear, we were both sobbing by that time...Kohaku was trapped! By himself! If it weren't for my training with father, Kohaku could have been stuck there forever, and starved to death or something!" Kagome nodded, listening intently. Kouga tapped Sango's shoulders. She looked at him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Class starts in two minutes."  
  
"OH MY GOD, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!!" Kagome and Sango screeched at the same time, grabbing Kouga's arms (one each, from the back), and running off at the speed of light, Kouga flapping in the wind behind them.  
  
~*~  
  
They made it just in time, setting foot in the classroom when the bell rang.  
  
"Whew. Close call there." Kagome said, pretending to wipe a bead of sweat of her forehead. Sango laughed, while Kouga chuckled lightly. They sat down in their seats. Kagome was beside the window, while Sango sat in front of her and Kouga beside her. Just then, the math teacher, Mr. Yushiko, walked in.  
  
Setting his brief case down, he began to write questions on the board.  
  
"Copy these questions and complete them in your math notebooks first. When you've completed that, read pages 103 to 105 and complete pages 106 to 110." The class groaned at how much work there was. Suddenly, the door burst open, Inu-Yasha and Miroku in the doorway, panting heavily. It appeared they had run all the way to school.  
  
"H-here!" They presented their late slips to the teacher, and sat down. Inu- Yasha sat down behind Kagome, not before flashing her a smile, causing Kagome to blush slightly and several other girls in the class to fume. Miroku sat down beside Sango, who looked away.  
  
"Ahem. So. The assignment is on the board, Mr. Inu-Yasha, Mr. Miroku. However, I must remind you again that -"  
  
"Yah, yah, if we're late again, we get a detention. We know!" Inu-Yasha snapped.  
  
Mr. Yushiko approached Inu-Yasha's desk.  
  
"Mr. Inu-Yasha," he began, getting an evil glint in his eyes (A/N: *Shudder* Evil math teachers...*shivers*), "You are asking for a detention, the way you are acting. I will not tolerate a student like you talking back at me." Mr. Yushiko turned on his heel and marched to his desk at the front of the room, sitting down. People who had been watching pounced on their work, afraid to be lectured by the teacher next.  
  
Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes, and pulled out his textbook.  
  
~*~  
  
"Lunch time!" Kagome squealed happily, jumping out of her seat. The day had been going smoothly so far, since all her classes had been with her friends.  
  
Grabbing a tray of food, Kagome sat down. Sango and Kouga followed. "Things haven't changed over the summer at all..." Kagome muttered. Sango, Kouga and Kagome always sat together. Sometimes Ayame came along, but she usually was there for Kouga. Then it's not a surprise that Ayame liked Kouga?  
  
Kagome somehow thought this was funny. Kouga however, did not. Neither did he find the next event very amusing either.  
  
Inu-Yasha sat down beside Kagome, with his usual smirk. Kagome giggled, rolling her eyes. Miroku followed Inu-Yasha, except sat next to Sango. Sango huffed and looked away. Miroku put on a pouty face.  
  
'This group is so comical...' Kouga thought. He gave a sigh as he noticed Kagome and Inu-Yasha chatting away, Miroku eating with a pout on his face, and Sango stealing occasional glances at him.  
  
::Sango's POV::  
  
Miroku was still pouting over the fact that I was ignoring him...on the most part.  
  
'Even though you hate ignoring him...'  
  
Who the hell are you?  
  
'Your sub-consciousness.'  
  
Go away.  
  
'I'll ignore that. You like Miroku don't you?'  
  
Oh, give me a break!! I met him like, how many days ago?!  
  
'Today.'  
  
Exactly! Besides, he had a lecherous reputation.  
  
'Doesn't seem like you mind.'  
  
How would you know?!  
  
'You can't hide anything from me.'  
  
You wanna bet?!  
  
'You can keep lying to yourself then.'  
  
The voice disappeared. I heaved a sigh. Do I like him?  
  
...Yah right.  
  
I stole a glance at Kouga, who seemed to be...dull? Disappointed? I think I know why. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he misses the attention he usually gets from Kagome...  
  
...speaking of Kagome...  
  
She was chattering away with Inu-Yasha. Believe it or not, I feel sorry for her. She probably doesn't know, or she's ignoring the fact that he's a playboy. How many girlfriends has he had before? He's even been out once or twice with that bitch Kikyo.  
  
Speaking of Kikyo...  
  
"INU-KUN!!!!!!!" Someone (preferably something) hurled itself (yes, itself) at Inu-Yasha. Kagome stopped in mid-sentence. Inu-Yasha found himself with Kikyo in his lap, who was dressed in a very, very, VERY short miniskirt and a very, very, VERY small tanktop and extremely high heels. She was wearing bright pink lipstick and even brighter pink eyeshadow.  
  
One word seemed to pass through everyone's head but Inu-Yasha:  
  
Slut.  
  
I could tell Kagome was not at all pleased with this.  
  
"Yashie-kun, where have you been!?" Kikyo squealed. Inu-Yasha smiled down at her.  
  
"I've been at school the whole time. Have a good summer?"  
  
"I had an AWESOME summer! But it would have been EVEN better with YOU!!"  
  
My ears are going deaf. I held back a gag. Kouga seemed about ready to throw up. He hates people like Kikyo. Not that I don't.  
  
Kagome was clenching and unclenching her fist, however, this action went unknown to Inu-Yasha.  
  
"Inu darling, did you see me at the dance club last night? I totally CREAMED that Higurashi girl, or whatever her name is."  
  
It was plain to see that Kagome had had enough. She stood up abruptly in her seat, making her chair topple over. Kikyo pouted and looked to see who had interrupted her moment. Meanwhile, Kagome's knuckles were white.  
  
"Kikyo, you should learn the definitions of win and lose before you challenge someone."  
  
Kikyo sneered at her from Inu-Yasha's lap.  
  
"What do YOU want? If it's Inu-Yasha, you better stay away from him, cause he's MINE!" Kikyo yelled, throwing her arms around Inu-Yasha's neck.  
  
I swear, I'm ready to hurl. I made a gagging noise, while Kouga fake coughed. Miroku was trying to hold back a laugh. Inu-Yasha seemed momentarily confused, before he remembered Kikyo and Kagome had had a face- off at the dance club. Just because I wasn't a witness, didn't mean I didn't know what was going on.  
  
Things get around, you know?  
  
Kagome glared at Inu-Yasha and Kikyo. "How many times have you gone out with her?" She spat at him. Inu-Yasha merely shrugged.  
  
"I dunno...couple times already...why?" Kagome's face was turning red with anger.  
  
Uh oh. She said her next sentence in a deathly calm tone. This was not good. Not good!  
  
"How many other girls have you dated?" Inu-Yasha obviously had no idea what was coming. I prayed he'd either apologize immediately or keep his mouth shut, or better yet, made Kikyo GO AWAY.  
  
No such luck.  
  
"Umm...about...five, six or more. Around 6 or so."  
  
I could tell Kouga knew what was coming, as both he and I paled considerably. I think Miroku sensed something too, as he scooted a little further away.  
  
Kagome was shaking with anger. Inu-Yasha finally picked up something was wrong. Kikyo, being the moron she is, sensed nothing, but played with Inu- Yasha's hair. She finally looked at Kagome in a bored fashion.  
  
"If you're done standing there, you can go away, and leave me and my Yashie- kun alone." And pecked him on the cheek.  
  
Oh no...no...no...!  
  
Too late.  
  
"FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I WAS THE ONE SITTING HERE WITH MY FRIENDS DOING FINE, THAT IS, UNTIL YOU JUST HAD TO COME SKIPPING ALONG, FALL INTO INU- YASHA'S LAP AND TELL ME TO GO AWAY, WHEN IT SHOULD BE YOU!! WHAT IS YOUR FRIKKEN PROBLEM YOU BITCHY SLUT?! SAYING THAT YOU BEAT ME AT THE DANCE CLUB LAST NIGHT?! YOU KNOW THAT I BEAT YOU, EVEN WHEN YOU FRIKKEN CHEATED, YOU BITCH!!"  
  
Kagome doesn't usually scream, but when she does - it's loud.  
  
It was Inu-Yasha's turn next.  
  
"AND YOU! ASKING ME OUT WHEN YOU'VE HAD SIX OTHER GIRLFRIENDS ALREADY?! WHAT IS YOUR F-EN PROBLEM?! TELLING ME THAT I'M CUTE, THEN HERE YOU ARE, WITH HER IN YOUR LAP, TALKING WITH EACH OTHER LIKE A PAIR OF LOVEBIRDS!! YOU PLAYER!! YOU MAKE ME SICK, YOU ARROGANT BASTARD!!" Kagome screamed in his face. She ended with a loud slap across both their faces.  
  
"Come on guys, let's go."  
  
She stomped out the cafeteria, me, Miroku and Kouga following, leaving behind a silent, staring crowd and Inu-Yasha and Kikyo in his lap, both shocked.  
  
::Normal POV::  
  
The four sat down outside under a sakura tree, Kagome still fuming. Sango sat next to Kagome, both she and Kouga trying to calm her down. Miroku was still pale and shaking with fear, after witnessing one of Kagome's temper flares. After some time, everyone was able to settle down.  
  
"I'm very sorry, Lady Kagome, for what happened with my friend back there." Kagome didn't reply. She was back to clenching and unclenching her fist again. Miroku continued.  
  
"Inu-Yasha can be -"  
  
"Hn. Save it. I don't wanna hear his name." Kagome turned away, then stared up into the branches of the sakura tree.  
  
The other three sighed in unison.  
  
*  
  
The rest of the day passed rather uneventfully. Being in most of the same classes as Kagome, Inu-Yasha tried talking to her once or twice, only to be completely and utterly ignored.  
  
Even Sango and Kouga refused to talk to Inu-Yasha. Miroku would occasionally exchange a few words with him, but avoided doing so due to his fear of having Kagome's temper flare up again, this time at him.  
  
Everyone returned home that day, it a gloomy mood.  
  
(A/N: ...No surprises there)  
  
~*~  
  
"RRRRGH!!!" Kagome screamed into her pillow. That was the first thing she did when she got home, after taking off her shoes and backpack.  
  
'Inu-Yasha you loser...'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There. To all Kikyo haters (fellow Kikyo haters united!), the slap was for you...for her being such a b!Tc|-|. Erm, anyhow...just a warning to Kikyo fans, you may not want to read the chapters with Kikyo bashing in it, in case you'll be offended. For one thing, I, by no means, am a Kikyo fan. The REAL Kikyo is ok, only OKAY. The undead one is just...*screaming cuss words*. You get the picture. -_-;;  
  
Sihara: *Bows again* Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!! Yes, Pocky is the absolute bestest!! I have no idea what I would do without Pocky. Apart from Inu-Yasha and anime in general (maybe j-pop and techno music too), Pocky is one of the things I thrive on. I live for it. ^.^ Thank you so much for your support, I really appreciate it!  
  
Smurf2005: Yes, you have said that before. But that's ok. I repeat stuff all the time!! 'Changes in the Flow of Love' seems really great too. Keep it up. Thnx for reviewing XD, and keep reviewing too!!  
  
Inuyashachick210: Hehe, thanks for the compliment. Glad to hear that you like my fic. Keep the reviews coming. ^_^  
  
Inuyashafan713: Thnx! I take you think my story is mainly cute? Hehe, it might not be so cute later on however. Not that it's going to turn upside down. Oh well, can't tell yah what's gonna happen...^_~. 


	6. You're Forgiven, For Now

I'm sorry for not updating for soo long!! *Sob* But I had a fever! And I was sorta stuck on how I'd write this chapter. I've also come face-to-face with the problem I've been dreading. Should this fic be K/K or I/K!? (Just for...err...safety measures, that was Kouga/Kagome or Inu/Kagome, ok?) I originally had my own plans, but I want the readers to be happy too! However, there are fans for both pairings...and...argh! *Pulling out hair*  
  
Ah well, on with the fic...*sigh*  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha T_T.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught In The Rain  
  
Chapter Six: You're Forgiven...For Now  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kagome was walking to school – alone. For the first time in years. She sighed.  
  
'Why am I so depressed? Because of Inu-Yasha? But I hardly even know him. How can I have feelings for him?'  
  
She didn't like where this was going, so she decided not to think about it...  
  
...Except that wasn't going to work.  
  
Stepping onto the school grounds, loud chattering met her ears. She looked around for any familiar (preferably friendly) face. None could be seen. Heaving another sigh, she proceeded to walk to class. Maybe getting to first period (math) early for a change wouldn't be so bad.  
  
*  
  
"You should apologize you know."  
  
"...Feh."  
  
Inu-Yasha and Miroku were on their way to school. For once, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be early for school. A detention sure wasn't on their priorities list.  
  
Not that the detention room wasn't like their homeroom...  
  
...But that's beside the point.  
  
"No, Inu-Yasha, you really should."  
  
"You never told me to apologize to any other girls!!"  
  
"Well I'm telling you now!"  
  
"Why now!? Because she's Sango's friend – and you like Sango?!"  
  
Miroku blushed, then glared at him.  
  
"Because Kagome is MY friend too!"  
  
Inu-Yasha turned away, and feh-ed. Just then, they saw Sango running up to them.  
  
"Have you two seen Kagome?" She asked urgently.  
  
"Ah, Lady Sango, may I escort you to class?" Miroku suggested, taking her hand. Sango yanked it away.  
  
"Quit the crap, houshi. Have you seen Kagome or not?"  
  
Inu-Yasha however, didn't hear the question.  
  
"Houshi? Why do call him houshi?"  
  
A vein popped in Sango's temple.  
  
"Because I do, that's why – now – HAVE YOU FREAKING SEEN KAGOME OR NOT?!!" Sango screamed in their poor faces, making their hair blow back from the pressure.  
  
"N-n-n-no!" They stuttered at the same time.  
  
"Fine! That's all I was asking! Jeez!" She exclaimed, stomping off.  
  
Miroku and Inu-Yasha sighed simultaneously.  
  
*  
  
Kouga made his way up the stairs, heading towards first period.  
  
'Poor Kagome...Falling for a player.'  
  
Of course, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for himself...  
  
'How can I deny it?'  
  
He shook his head.  
  
'I can't deny it.'  
  
Lying to himself wasn't an option.  
  
'I like Kagome.'  
  
He sighed heavily.  
  
'...damn these stairs.'  
  
*  
  
Kagome was seated at her desk, gazing out the window. Class didn't start for another 20 minutes.  
  
'Maybe I came too early...'  
  
Sighing, she closed her eyes, letting the breeze from the open window calm her down. Just then, the door burst open (A/N: Anyone have a sense of dédja vu?) to reveal a flustered Sango.  
  
"Kagome!!" She exclaimed, striding into the classroom. She took her usual seat, right in front of Kagome, and turned her chair around.  
  
"So..."  
  
"..."  
  
"Aaaw, come on...what are you so upset about? Inu-Yasha being a player? Don't tell me you weren't expecting that! I thought you knew better...!"  
  
Kagome sighed, and looked back out the window.  
  
'Am I upset over Inu-Yasha being a player? ...Gimme a break, I just met the guy.'  
  
"Kagome? Earth to Kagome...?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"You just...zoned out for a moment there..."  
  
"...oh..."  
  
Sango sighed. "What's the matter with you?"  
  
Kagome tore her gaze from the outside the window, turning to Sango.  
  
"Sango, do you think I like him? I mean, how could I? I basically just met him. Falling for a jerk like that would be..."  
  
"What you would do?"  
  
Kagome was silent for a moment.  
  
"...Yeah. Like what I would do." She said quietly.  
  
Both became silent. Kagome shattered the quiet.  
  
"You like Miroku don't you?"  
  
"What does that have to with anything?!" Sango cried out, blushing ten shades of red.  
  
"Oooooh, you didn't deny it!!"  
  
"You...!"  
  
Kagome started laughing at Sango's flushed face. For some reason, Sango found Kagome's laughter hilarious, and too, began laughing. The two were laughing their heads off when Kouga stepped into class.  
  
"What the...?" He asked, sitting down in his seat beside Kagome.  
  
That only made the two girls laugh harder.  
  
"What is so funny? Do I have something on my face?!"  
  
...Which triggered them to laugh even harder. Kouga sweatdropped. The two girls were clutching their sides laughing like maniacs when Inu-Yasha and Miroku walked into the classroom.  
  
They stopped laughing instantly. (- -;)  
  
Kagome went back to staring out the window with a distant look on her face, while Sango busied herself with her agenda. Kouga sat eyeing the two boys in the doorway while facing the front of the classroom.  
  
Inu-Yasha strode over to his desk, and Miroku to Sango's.  
  
"My Lady Sango -"  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
"How could you be so cruel?!"  
  
*Bam*  
  
Miroku retreated to his desk a swelling bump on his head that promised a headache.  
  
Inu-Yasha pondered whether or not he should talk to Kagome. He made up his mind.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey, yourself."  
  
At least they were back on talking terms. That was definitely a plus. But...now what? Keep talking?  
  
"So..."  
  
"So what?"  
  
Inu-Yasha let out a frustrated sigh/growl.  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'M SORRY, OK?!" He blurted out. Kagome eyed him with that distant look.  
  
"I know you don't mean it, so don't bother." She said, then looked back out the window.  
  
Inu-Yasha stared. For one thing, he never apologized. He was accustomed to people crawling back to him. And secondly...she was sort of right. He hadn't really apologized sincerely. He didn't...really mean it. Just...sort of...  
  
...She had seen right through him.  
  
*  
  
"Actually, I'm surprised you apologized at all." Miroku stated. Inu-Yasha had told him what had happened.  
  
"I told you, apologizing isn't so hard." He continued.  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded dumbly.  
  
"Like, for instance, I apologize all the time. When I...let's say...grope someone, like Sango, I always apologize afterwards."  
  
Inu-Yasha started to nod, but caught himself mid-way. "I thought we were talking about my problem."  
  
"Aaah, yes. So...what were you saying?"  
  
Inu-Yasha let out an aggravated sigh.  
  
"What should I do? She can't stay mad at me forever, right?"  
  
Miroku was silent for a moment. Then he spoke up.  
  
"Yasha-man," Miroku said, Inu-Yasha twitching at the nickname. "Are you aware that this is the VERY first time that you actually WANT to apologize to a girl – wait no, to anyone – sincerely? No offense, but you are a – well – don't beat me up for saying this – but, you are a player."  
  
Inu-Yasha thought for a moment, then smirked. "So? And anyways, you shouldn't have a place to speak – you're the one who goes around groping girls...!"  
  
"Aaah...point well proven, however, I'd rather be a lecher than a player."  
  
"You would!?" Inu-Yasha asked with disbelief. Miroku nodded solemnly.  
  
"That, I would. At least I don't exactly go around breaking every girl's heart, unlike you. Girls aren't like particles of clothing. You can't just outgrow them and then discard them."  
  
Inu-Yasha 'feh'-ed.  
  
Miroku went on. "So, if you actually want to apologize to Lady Kagome sincerely, then you probably should...and soon. Or else she'll think you're in one of you're playboy kicks, hit-and-run...yah know what I mean?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for your advice." Inu-Yasha said. "Not that I needed it." He added as an afterthought, before walking off in the direction of his house.  
  
Miroku shook his head, smiling to himself.  
  
'When will that fool ever learn...?'  
  
*  
  
The bell rang, signaling lunch time. Quickly getting up from his seat, Inu- Yasha rushed out of the room, through doors which Kagome had just exited.  
  
Pushing through the crowds, he quickly scanned the mass of people in the hallway, and spotted Kagome by her locker...  
  
...with Kouga, and Sango, and apparently, three other friends.  
  
Just his luck.  
  
Dammit.  
  
Aaah...! Why now!? Why couldn't she just be freaking alone for once?! (A/N: Little does our Inu-Yasha know he missed a chance only the day before...^_~) Oh well. It was now or never. He gulped, and walked up to her.  
  
"Uuh...Kagome?"  
  
Upon hearing her name, she spun around. Sango and Kouga immediately took on rather sour expressions, Inu-Yasha thought, and two of her other friends suddenly had hearts and stars in their eyes.  
  
::Inu-Yasha POV::  
  
Kagome was eyeing me warily, and I could have sworn I saw a spark in Kouga's eye. As for Sango, hers already had blazing fires in them.  
  
Talk about protective friends...  
  
...keh.  
  
Meanwhile, her other two friends which I didn't know no shit about, were looking at me like they were ready to pounce. I shrugged it off, as this was usual behavior I got from girls in the school...  
  
...and at malls...  
  
...and on the streets...  
  
...in restaurants...  
  
...stores...  
  
...libraries (though I rarely go there)...  
  
...parties...  
  
...in night clubs...  
  
...you get the picture.  
  
The third unknown girl seemed slightly curious. Hmm...unusual reaction...  
  
Anyways...I turned my attention back on Kagome, who seemed to be eyeing me like I was a piece of dirt or something. I cleared my throat.  
  
"Umm...may I speak to you? Like...privately?"  
  
Kagome brushed the request off.  
  
"You can say what you need to say right here." She said coldly. Her two friends which seemed to be my fans turned to her and gasped.  
  
"K-Kagome! How could you speak to Inu-Yasha like that!?"  
  
"Like, THE Inu-Yasha!"  
  
"The ONE AND ONLY -"  
  
"-So popular -"  
  
"- major athlete -"  
  
"- total hotty -"  
  
"- silver-haired, golden-eyed prince charming!" They finished in unison. Kagome looked at them with pure disgust. The third girl I had no clue about sighed and buried her face in her hands before dragging them away.  
  
What a shame. I wanted to find out more about my good qualities. But I had a task at hand.  
  
I opened my mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Sango.  
  
"When will Eri and Yuka EVER learn?"  
  
"They aren't physically or mentally capable of it, so I wouldn't count of it if I were you." Kouga replied.  
  
I could feel the anger slowly bubbling...  
  
...slowly...  
  
...yup...  
  
...it's there...  
  
...right about...  
  
...now.  
  
"WILL YOU TWO PLEASE – GO AWAY!? I NEED TO SPEAK TO KAGOME ALONE!!" Sango and Kouga shook their heads. I was about to yell again, when another yelling voice beat me to it.  
  
"Don't yell at my friends, you jerk! Whatever you need to say, say it here dammit!"  
  
Something inside me deflated, and I found myself no longer angry.  
  
"Fine," I huffed. I took a deep breath.  
  
"I-I'm sorry." I said, my face flushed ten shades of red.  
  
Kagome blinked at me in surprise.  
  
::Kagome POV::  
  
What?  
  
Inu-Yasha, the 'one-and-only, oh so popular, majorly athletic, oh so hot, silver-haired, golden-eyed prince charming', apologizing?  
  
Questions sprang up, like:  
  
Why's he apologizing?  
  
What took him so long?  
  
Who made him apologize?  
  
He's actually capable of apologizing?  
  
Who taught him how?  
  
How come he never has before?  
  
He knows the word 'sorry'! *Gasp*  
  
...Ok, so maybe that wasn't a question, and it was a little mean...but...he's a 'little' mean himself.  
  
But then again...  
  
...he IS apologizing...  
  
...maybe he isn't THAT bad...  
  
...I guess.  
  
I sighed. Guessing by the looks on their faces, Sango and Kouga were definitely shocked by my reply.  
  
"It's ok. I should've known. I'll remember not to expect much from you from now on. You're forgiven...for now." I said casually, and walked off with my two friends trailing behind.  
  
I think I'll leave him to the rest.  
  
My work here is done.  
  
::Normal POV::  
  
Inu-Yasha stood there dumbly (again), processing what Kagome had said. (A/N: Slow isn't he? ^_^)  
  
...Ok.  
  
So everything was fine now!? All that, and...  
  
...oh yeah, the whole point was that things would be fine afterwards...  
  
...yeah.  
  
Inu-Yasha smiled at Kagome's rapidly vanishing form down the hallway.  
  
'For now'.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ack! I'm so sorry for the long wait!! I'm sorry! Don't kill me! If you do, you won't get to read the next chapters! You can't kill me! *Readers with forks and knives back down slowly* Phew. I know the fic just took a weird turn...if you have any comments about my writing, please tell me, however, try not to flame me. This is my first time ever, so go easy on me, okay? ^_^; I know that there still – hasn't been any fluff...that's coming in later chapters. I have to decide what pairing it'll turn out to be in the end. So review, and put your two cents in. If you don't, this fic may be delayed...! *Fake, dramatic gasp* ^_^; Hehehe...  
  
Smurf2005: So it's getting better by every chapter!? Woot!! Yup, Kikyo bashing is fun!! *Grabs a hammer and starts hammering Kikyo's skull in* Whaddaya know – I was right! It's empty!! *Points at the hollow inside* In my opinion, Kikyo's a bitch at all times...*chibi growl* Ehehe...  
  
c-dog: *Sigh*, you see the problem about k/k or i/k? Yeah. I am a fan of both, actually, and it's turning out to be really hard to decide. I'm glad that there are so many Kikyo haters reading this fic. The next chapter will be dedicated to all Kikyo haters. XD Keep your eyes open for it!!  
  
Deamon Drama Queen: *War cry* Down with Kikyo!! Down with the clay pot!! Down with the bitchy slut!! Good job on defining Kikyo. My words exactly. ^_~ Thank you for reviewing.  
  
Inufan: Thank you! I'm glad to hate Kikyo too. Did I tell you I think she's a bitch!? ^.^ What? She is. *chibi evil laugh*  
  
amy: Tell me about it. Whenever I see Kikyo on the TV/computer screen, I really can't help but let a string of cuss words escape my mouth. Of course, I'm not trying to keep it in. =)  
  
Diable: I love reading fics with Kikyo bashing in it. I figured if the undead Kikyo from the show was placed into the 'future', she'd be exactly as she is in this fic. A bitchy slut!! Thnx for reviewing!  
  
Whatever: Hehe, I hope this chapter answered your question. ^.^  
  
misz DEE lishuz: Oh yeah, we're really on a roll. I can't believe how many more reviews I got when I put some Kikyo bashing in it...^_^ I promise more Kikyo bashing further on! Yay! Let's kill Kikyo! *Kikyo bashers go on a rampage*  
  
Nanako_wang: It's a really hard decision for me, as I am a big fan of both Inu+Kag and Kouga+Kag. And it's true, Inu-Yasha breaks Kagome's heart many times by running off to Kikyo...*mutters incoherently*, while Kouga is sincere to her. Believe me, I was thinking of making this Inu+Kag, but now I am heavily tempted to change it to Kouga+Kag!! Thnx so much for reviewing, I feel so loved!! ^-^  
  
Ryuki*Starr: Yup, I knew you'd love Kikyo bashing...the next chapter is full of it!! I would die for Pocky!!...As long as I got to eat it first, that is. Yes, 'sukatoro Kikyo' would be a very nice line to add in my fic...*evil smirk*. I'll let you be one of the generals in my next Kikyo murdering rampage. And of course, every else who has reviewed. ^_^ Yay! A rampage!! *War cry* I see you still haven't forgiven Inu. Ah well...Kouga+Kag is very nice too...! However...I still have to think about it. ^_^;  
  
Sihara: I AGREE WITH YOU 100%!! Kikyo can piss off, eat shit, and go to hell!! Excuse my use of vulgar language, but when it comes to Kikyo...*muttering*. And yet again, thank you for reviewing!!  
  
All the reviewers get cookies! =^-^=  
  
Push...  
  
The...  
  
Purple...  
  
Button!! 


	7. School, Volleyball, Study Buddies, and t...

Three days! It's not THAT long...Well, for me anyway. This is the longest chapter yet. Yes, this is the promise chapter of KIKYO BASHING!! Yes!  
  
Disclaimer: Must I say it again!? ;_; I don't own Inu-Yasha! Or Kouga...T_T *sob*  
  
~Thanks a bunch to Rushyuo for helping me out with the an obstacle I met along the way!~  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught In The Rain  
  
Chapter Seven: School, Volleyball, Study Buddies, and the Arcade  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
  
Kagome woke to the sound of her new alarm clock, as she had disabled her old one. Jumping up, she rushed to the washroom to do her business.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, she came out clad in nothing by a fuzzy light purple towel. Searching through her closet, Kagome pulled out a pair of baggy black pants and a white shirt with elbow length sleeves with a hood. Stepping into her shoes, Kagome grabbed her backpack and poptart, and ran out the door.  
  
Running down the street to the curb, she waved and yelled.  
  
"Inu-Yasha! Sango-chan! Kouga-kun!!"  
  
They turned around to see their friend running towards them. Sango waved and Kouga smiled warmly. Inu-Yasha grinned when Kagome caught up with them.  
  
"Hey!" Kagome greeted. Sango smirked.  
  
"Aren't we cheerful this morning? Since when were you up earlier than 8:30?"  
  
Kagome blushed.  
  
"So what if I'm feeling happy?" Laughing, Kagome grabbed Sango's hand and started running towards school with Sango running behind her.  
  
"Kagome, slow down!!"  
  
Without paying attention where she was going, Kagome ran into something firm, and fell back.  
  
"Ow, ow, ow!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" The person spoke. Kagome looked up from her position on the ground.  
  
A boy with brown hair and brown eyes was looking down at her, hand extended to help her up. Kagome accepted it and pulled herself up.  
  
"By the way, my name's Hojo."  
  
"Err...I'm Kagome."  
  
"Nice to meet you Kagome."  
  
'Is it just me, or he being too nice?' Kagome thought to herself while shaking his hand awkwardly. Sango hovered behind Kagome, peering over her shoulder. Kouga and Inu-Yasha came running up behind the two girls.  
  
"Don't just take off like tha- uuh...who's he?" Kouga asked, both he and Inu- Yasha frowning at the fact that this stranger was holding onto Kagome's hand. Seeing her friends had arrived, Kagome drew hand back uneasily.  
  
"Uuh...this is...Hojo. Umm, right, now...uuh...gotta be off to class, see yah!" Kagome said, running off with her Sango closely following and Inu-Yasha and Kouga trailing slightly, both eyeing Hojo suspiciously.  
  
Hojo blinked in surprise long after they had gone.  
  
"What?"  
  
(A/N: A little slow on the uptake...)  
  
*  
  
"Class, settle down!" The teacher cried out. Sango and Kagome were all ears while Inu-Yasha, Kouga, and Miroku had tuned themselves out.  
  
"We are having a test this week. Remember to study the notes that you've taken – or, should have taken – so far. This isn't a very big test, but it will affect the marks for first term marks."  
  
The class groaned.  
  
"Seriously! Now, turn to page 136..."  
  
The rest of the class passed by extremely slowly and tediously, in Miroku's perspective.  
  
::Miroku's POV::  
  
*Yawn*  
  
Page what?  
  
...oh well, who cares.  
  
I'll probably get the notes off Sango.  
  
If not, maybe Inu-Yasha.  
  
...nevermind, he's never taken notes. He'll probably borrow from Kagome.  
  
Maybe I'll get a copy of Kouga's.  
  
*Turns around in seat*  
  
Nevermind, he's asleep.  
  
Damn.  
  
Oh well, I wasn't really expecting to get notes in the first place...I'll try Sango before coming to conclusions.  
  
"If x/y is equivalent to a/b and a/b equals...."  
  
...bullshit.  
  
Blah, blah, blah...I'd really rather be hearing Sango's voice...  
  
(A/N: Let's move to another POV before this gets revolting...- -;)  
  
::Kouga's POV::  
  
*Snore*  
  
...  
  
...  
  
*Snore*  
  
(A/N: ....or not....)  
  
::Inu-Yasha's POV::  
  
...Kagome's hair looks soft...  
  
(A/N: o.0)  
  
::Sango's POV::  
  
I'm guessing the answer is ½, but I'm not too sure. This is Kagome's subject, not mine.  
  
What? She got an A on her paper, and mine had a nice, fat, bold, B- on it.  
  
Yippee...  
  
I suppose it could be worse...  
  
Miroku handed in a blank paper.  
  
Why am I thinking about what he got!?  
  
I know that Kouga got a B+, probably because he swiped some answers off of Kagome.  
  
Cheater!!  
  
T_T No matter how hard I try, I can never get a hang of this stuff.  
  
*Sigh*...  
  
(A/N: ...just like me...)  
  
::Normal POV::  
  
*RIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG*  
  
"LUNCH TIME!!!" Someone in the classroom screamed. Everyone sprang out of their seats, racing towards the door.  
  
*  
  
Kagome, Inu-Yasha, Kouga, Sango and Miroku sat down in their usual seats.  
  
"Ewww...I hate school food...!" Sango whined. Kagome grinned.  
  
"That's why I bring my own!" She pulled out a box of assorted sushi. Everyone whipped their heads from their school lunch glop to the box of heavenly food.  
  
Kagome sweatdropped. "Okies...anyhow."  
  
"Anyhow...do you guys wanna get together and study after school today?" Sango suggested.  
  
"Sure, how about the school library?" Kagome said, nodding.  
  
"Kay. Getting an A for once would be nice!" Sango said, laughing nervously.  
  
Kouga spoke up. "Can I come too?"  
  
Both girls nodded.  
  
Inu-Yasha and Miroku were oddly quiet during this little conversation...  
  
"And you two are coming too." Kagome stated flatly.  
  
Just then, Kikyo came skipping up to their table. Kagome's small smile turned into a scowl. As did Sango's and Kouga's.  
  
"Inu-Yasha sweetie pie!!" She squealed, attaching herself to his shoulders.  
  
He stiffened.  
  
Kagome's face darkened.  
  
"Aww, Inu darling, does your back hurt? I'll- "  
  
"You won't ANYTHING, Kikyo. Now piss off, before I make you." Kagome growled.  
  
Kikyo rolled her eyes.  
  
"I thought I told you not to hang around MY Inu-Yasha. And you're bothering me, so you'll have to leave. And leave my poor Inu-kun alone, he's getting tired of y-"  
  
Was all she managed to get out before she felt a hand come down on her cheek.  
  
Hard.  
  
"Bitch," Kagome spat out the word like it was venom. "Telling me what to do? How about, you piss off, eat crap, and go to hell. Oh yeah, why don't you go screw that stalker of yours, Naraku or whatever he's called. Get outta my sight before I kick you outta my sight."  
  
Kikyo fumed.  
  
"You...you!"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You...you...you!"  
  
"It's Kagome, not 'you'. I thought I said to get outta my sight, slut."  
  
Kikyo tried to slap Kagome, however Kagome caught her wrist, and twisted it behind Kikyo's back.  
  
"I said to beat it, but since you haven't, I'll have to help you." Twisting her other arm as well, Kagome grabbed Kikyo by her hair, as well as Kouga's water bottle, ignoring his "Hey!" of protest.  
  
Still gripping Kikyo by her hair, she dumped the water over her face, thus ruining her makeup. Kagome let go of her hair very suddenly, making her fall flat on her face, smudging her makeup.  
  
"Beat it, slut." Kagome snarled.  
  
Kikyo scurried off, whimpering.  
  
Kagome turned around, back to her lunch. Chewing slowly and still glaring, Inu-Yasha was the first to speak up.  
  
"W-wasn't that...a...l-little harsh?" He said quietly.  
  
"So you're siding with her?" Kagome spat. "Then why don't you go running after your little bitch? She's probably weeping in some corner of the school now. If you like her hanging off of you, trying to get you in bed with her, then remind me not to interrupt your next little get-together!"  
  
Inu-Yasha growled.  
  
"It's not like that! I just thought that was a little harsh, the way you treated her."  
  
"Oh, so I should treat her like the queen, and she can treat me like shit!? I don't think so, Inu-Yasha!!" Kagome yelled.  
  
Kouga sighed.  
  
'Why does she even bother...? Why waste your feelings on a player?'  
  
Miroku looked on boredly.  
  
'This is dull. I'd rather be with Sango somewhere...'  
  
Sango was praying silently Kagome would not get into another of her temper flares.  
  
'Why can't they treat each other like humans? Jeez!!'  
  
"No! Her treating you like shit is wrong too, why don't BOTH of you try to stop treating each other like shit!? And what's with you always yelling at me?!"  
  
"Would you prefer I scream??!!"  
  
"NO!!"  
  
Huffing, they both turned away.  
  
'Them and their stupid rants...' was all that passed through the other three's heads.  
  
*  
  
"Now what class?"  
  
"P.E.," came the dry reply. (Hey, it rhymes!)  
  
Both sighed.  
  
"Okay then. Let's go to the change rooms, then."  
  
"Okies."  
  
Five minutes later, Kagome and Sango were out, dressed in their gym uniforms, which consisted of a pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt. Inu-Yasha, Kouga, and Miroku came out dressed in slightly longer shorts, and baggier t-shirts. The class crowded around their P.E. teacher, Ms. Kaede.  
  
"Class! Today, we'll be doing an assortment of different activities. There'll be volleyball, track and field, and archery. You'll be divided up into groups, and then there'll be some rotation. Got it? Ok!" Ms. Kaede then started to divide the class into three different groups. Luckily, our five friends managed to stay in the same group...  
  
...however, with Kikyo, Naraku, Kagura, Yura, and Hojo. They ended up starting with volleyball first.  
  
"Oh, I'm so gonna kick your sorry ass, Higurashi!!" Kikyo screeched, having washed off her smudged makeup and applied fresh makeup.  
  
"In your dreams, you slutty bitch!" Kagome yelled back. They went on bickering, while the people around them sweatdropped.  
  
"I think that we should stay on the same team, and the rest of them can be on a separate team, hmm?" Kouga suggested.  
  
"Good idea, but I think we all figured that out." Miroku stated. Inu-Yasha snickered, earning himself a death glare from Kouga.  
  
'I really don't like this guy...' Kouga thought to himself. 'What does Kag see in him!?'  
  
Ms. Kaede trotted over to them, having dealt with the rest of the class. She tossed Sango the volleyball. "Here. Alright now – you all know the rules...well, you should know, anyway. I want you all to play fair. And: no getting into fights." She seemed to direct this mainly to Inu-Yasha and Naraku. (A/N: Hmmm...)  
  
"You can start now." And she left, to tend to other things, whatever they were.  
  
"I wanna serve!!" Kikyo screeched, while everyone covered their ears.  
  
"NO!" Sango hollered. "I'M SERVING!!"  
  
They yelled back and forth until Miroku snatched the ball away from Sango and Kikyo's grip, and hit it over the net, to have it bounced back by Yura.  
  
"Not bad, but not good enough!" Kouga said as he knocked it back over with force. It soared over the net, and landed on the ground with a thud.  
  
"Woohooo!!" Kagome cheered. (Kagome then turned into chibi form and started waving around little flags with a 'Go Kouga!' on them ^_~)  
  
Inu-Yasha scowled.  
  
"Heads up!!" Kagura suddenly yelled, as the cheering team saw the ball flying over the net. Kagome jumped up and whacked it over. It hit the ground with a thud.  
  
"Two points for our team!! Yay!" Sango cheered this time. Inu-Yasha grinned at Kagome, who in return, flashed him a smile.  
  
Kouga scowled.  
  
"Don't let your guard down!" Naraku hit it to Hojo, who hit it over the net, to have it hit back by Inu-Yasha. Hard. The ball flew past Yura, barely missing her head, and landed on the ground again.  
  
"Yippee!!" Kagome and Sango cheered. "Go Inu, go!"  
  
Miroku and Kouga scowled.  
  
"You little dweebs!! Take this!" Kikyo shrieked as she hit the ball with all the strength she could muster, only to miss. The ball fell back, behind her, with a dull thump.  
  
Silence.  
  
Kagome, Sango, Kouga and Miroku burst out laughing, while Inu-Yasha tried to desperately force it down, much to no avail. Soon, the whole team was rolling on the floor, crying tears of mirth. Kagome was on her knees, pounding her fist on the ground. Sango was gripping her stomach while rolling on her back. Kouga was barely standing, knees bent, and one arm was positioned on his knee, the other pointing at Kikyo. Miroku was having a laughing fit, too many positions to name. Inu-Yasha was clutching his stomach too, laughing.  
  
"If you're done laughing, can we continue this game?" Naraku asked coldly. Wiping away tears the remaining tears of hilarity, they got back in their positions.  
  
"I'll serve," Kagura said curtly, taking the ball from Kikyo, ignoring the "What do you think you're doing!?" from her.  
  
"I think you'll be crying tears of humiliation soon, when we're done with you!" Kagura yelled, serving.  
  
"I don't think so!!" Kouga shouted, hitting it to Kagome, who hit it to Sango, who whacked it over the net, in which Naraku pummeled back, only to get have it bounced over the net and onto the ground by Kouga.  
  
"Yes!" Kagome struck the air with her fist. Sango then joined in.  
  
"GO KOUGA, IT'S YA BIRTHDAY, IF IT ISN'T, GO ANYWAY!!" They cheered.  
  
Inu-Yasha and Miroku scowled.  
  
~After the game~  
  
"We won, we won, we won, oh yeah, we rock!" Kagome and Sango rooted. Kikyo came stomping over.  
  
"Oh my god, HiGuRaShI!!"  
  
"Learn to speak properly, KiKyO!" Kagome sneered, imitating her.  
  
"I can't believe you! You MUST have cheated! There's NO WAY you could have beat ME, the absolute BESTEST!!"  
  
"Bestest isn't a word, Kikyo." Kagome said. Kagome turned around fully, facing a fuming Kikyo.  
  
"Catch." Kagome did a very quick, forceful chest-pass to Kikyo, who had no time to react and caught it with her face.  
  
*  
  
"Okies. So we're studying for the math test which is supposedly at the end of this week, right?" Miroku inquired.  
  
"Yes, now will you stop asking that? You seem like that you're hoping for us to say 'No, were going to the arcade!' or something." Kagome said, sighing.  
  
"...How'd you know!? That's what I WAS hoping for! Omigod, you're physic! Please don't tell everyone what I'm thinking!! I beg of you!"  
  
Kagome sweatdropped. "Err...I was kidding about that."  
  
Silence. Awkward, uneasy silence filled their section of the school library. Inu-Yasha rustled his papers for affect.  
  
Sango cleared her throat. "Anyhow. We've gotta hurry. We'll hit the arcade when we're done studying."  
  
"You rock Sango!" Everyone said at once, Kagome among them.  
  
"Kagome!?" Sango asked, taken aback.  
  
Kagome shrugged. "What? I may get A's, doesn't mean I enjoy studying. Besides, I hate math!"  
  
The three boys gaped at her.  
  
"You're kidding." Kouga mumbled. "I thought you knew me better after all these years, Kouga!"  
  
"I thought I did too!!"  
  
Sighing, Kagome went back to her notes. "Oh yeah...did any of you guys get that last part about that...formula thing?"  
  
They all shook their heads.  
  
"If you didn't get it, we definitely did not. I was thinking about asking you about that thing." Sango admitted.  
  
Inu-Yasha shook his head. "I don't have ANY notes."  
  
"Same." Kouga admitted.  
  
Miroku nodded slowly.  
  
Inu-Yasha put on his best puppy-dog face. "May I please borrow your notes, Kagome?" He pleaded. Kagome scowled.  
  
"What the hell were you doing during class?"  
  
Inu-Yasha blushed, looking away.  
  
"I was..." he struggled for an answer. (Hint: What eyes are for. Also, involving the raven-haired girl whose name starts with 'K' and ends in 'e'. ^_~)  
  
When he had a suitable lie for the trick question, he opened his mouth, however to see a pile of papers being shoved in front of his face. He saw Sango, Kouga and Miroku each with a stack of papers in front of them as well.  
  
"Huh?" Was Inu-Yasha's oh-so-intelligent reply.  
  
"Where'd this come from?" He asked dumbly. Kagome sighed, rubbing her temples.  
  
"My notes and the photocopying machine."  
  
"Aaah..." Miroku said. Sango and Kouga merely nodded, both already immersed in the piled of notes of numbers, letters and formulas useful only for that week's test.  
  
*  
  
"Go Inu!! Go Kouga!! Yah!!" Kagome cheered. Inu-Yasha and Kouga decided to have a match at...  
  
..car racing!  
  
Not literally, the game. Currently, Inu-Yasha was in the lead, Kouga slightly behind him.  
  
"You – will – not – win!" Kouga strained out. If you hadn't already guessed, this whole match was to try to impress Kagome.  
  
However, being so blind as she was, Kagome had no clue.  
  
"Yay Kouga!"  
  
"Go Inu!"  
  
Kagome kept cheering back in forth. A crowd was gathering. Mainly because of Kagome cheering.  
  
You'd think: she's just cheering. Wow. Cheering.  
  
But if you knew she was wearing a white tubetop and navy blue miniskirt, waving her arms around in the air, above her head, thus exposing her stomach.  
  
Sango noticed this however, as all their eyes were on Kagome's abdomen. Sango nudged her in the ribs.  
  
"Eh? What?"  
  
Glancing at one strange guy, she followed his gaze...and landed on her own –  
  
"YOU PERVERT!! ALL OF YOU!! HENTAI'S!! YOU'RE ALL MIROKU'S!! OH MY GOD, STOP LOOKING THERE!! SICKOS!! PERVS!! EWWW, YOU BASTARDS, STOP CHECKING ME OUT!!!" Kagome screeched, ducking behind Inu-Yasha and Kouga's seats.  
  
Upon hearing 'stop checking me out', both Inu-Yasha and Kouga stepped on the 'brakes' so hard that both their cars crashed. They whipped around in their seats.  
  
"Who's checking you out!?" They yelled at once, before their eyes too, fell on Kagome in her odd position. Kagome's face flushed red.  
  
"AAAAH!! YOU TOO!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! YOU'RE ALL SICKOS!! PERVERTS!!!! HENTAI'S I TELL YOU, HENTAI'S!!" Kagome screamed. Grabbing Sango by the arm, she ran out of the arcade, Inu-Yasha, Kouga, and a dazed Miroku following.  
  
^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'AMY ONEE CHAN': Thnx, I'm glad you like my fic. ^.^  
  
DemonFireGirlHotaru: Well, I'm glad that you like K/K pairing. I do too, but at the same time, I am also a very big fan of IY/K. This is currently a very frustrating situation, which pairing it should be. However, I'm sorry to hear you are a Kikyo fan, and I'm not sure if you'll even get this far into the chapter. I am, by no means, a Kikyo lover. I apologize if you like her – however I despise her. I have no idea why Inu-Yasha likes Kikyo in the show, she tried to convince him to turn into full human. Why change him? Why don't you accept them for who they are? I know that you are a fan of Kikyo, and there are more in the world. However, that doesn't stop me from hating Kikyo. You don't have to hate her either, but this fic still, will continue to include Kikyo bashing, if you want to read that or not. Once again, I respect your opinion, however, I am firm with mine. Even if this does end up Kag/Kouga, I will by NO MEANS pair KIKYO up with Inu- Yasha. If you don't mind Kikyo bashing, then by all means, I'd be honoured if you continued reading my fic. I'm just worried in case you start flaming me just because I hate Kikyo. It's a matter of opinion. ^.^  
  
Sihara: So I take it you area all for Kag/Kouga? Okies then. ^.^ Hmm, I'm guessing you don't really like IY/K? Don't worry, I respect everyone's opinion. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
c-dog: I agree with you on Kouga!! XD Yes, Inu-Yasha does deserve to be punished for being a player, however, it's necessary in this fic for the...plot to unwind...^_^;  
  
Zero2-the-scyther: Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. If you only have the thoughts, that takes away some affect than actually having that POV. Here's your asked update. =)  
  
Rushyuo: LOLZ. Okies, here's the update, and no more threatening! Thanks for helping me out, by the way, I'm really thankful for that. I'm a reader for many fics, but when it comes to my own...I just...blank out. o_O; 


	8. Ominous Clouds

Disclaimer: Why must I keep repeating myself!? ;_; I don't own Inu-Yasha!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Eight: Ominous Clouds  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The phone rang. No one else was home to answer it.  
  
Yawning, Kagome reached over to pick it up.  
  
"Kagome speaking."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"This is...?"  
  
"Inu-Yasha, silly."  
  
"Ooh...heya Inu!"  
  
"Haha...you don't even recognize my voice?"  
  
"Psh...what are you? My boyfriend or something?"  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"Hahah."  
  
"So," Inu-Yasha spoke.  
  
"So..." Kagome repeated.  
  
"Yah wanna come over? Miroku's coming in the afternoon. He's probably bringing Sango with him."  
  
"Umm...sure why not?"  
  
"Sweet. You can come over now if you wanna."  
  
"Okies. See yah in a while."  
  
"Buh bye."  
  
She hang up. Smiling, Kagome got up from her position, sprawled out on her bed.  
  
'I'm going to Inu's house!'  
  
~Wonder what you're gonna do there...~  
  
'Back again?'  
  
~Mm hmm~  
  
'We're not doing anything. We're just hanging out. Besides, Sango and Miroku are there too.'  
  
~But you wish they weren't...~  
  
'Oh shut up.'  
  
~Make me.~  
  
'Really?'  
  
~...nevermind.~  
  
'HAH!'  
  
~You want him to be your boyfriend, eh?~  
  
'...what!?'  
  
~You can't hide it from me...~  
  
'Well...fine. So maybe I do like him. So?'  
  
~You finally admit it!!~  
  
'*Sigh*'  
  
~Erm. Yeah. I'll best be off for now...~  
  
'Thank you...jeez.'  
  
Kagome walked to the washroom. A shower would be nice.  
  
~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha smiled to himself, while sitting on his bed.  
  
[Ok. Inu-Yasha's room. Standing in the doorway, which is on the left, you see a bed with red and black sheets on the right, a balcony at the back, overlooking the back yard. On the left, you see a full-length mirror (rimmed with black), a computer desk with a computer, and beside that, a dresser with a TV on it. ^_^ There we go.]  
  
'Kagome's coming over!'  
  
But then again, so were Sango and Miroku.  
  
Maybe inviting the other two over wasn't such a great idea...  
  
~What about that Kouga guy?~  
  
'Who cares?'  
  
~He's Kagome's best friend~  
  
'I could care less...'  
  
Ah well...  
  
'I hope I don't smell. I should take a shower before they get here.'  
  
(A/N: Minds work in strange ways, huh?)  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome turned off the shower. Wrapping a thick, fluffy purple towel around her, she made her way back to her room.  
  
Looking through her closet, she selected a pair of low-rise navy jeans, and a white tanktop that read 'Angel'. She kept her hair down, and put on her favourite street shoes with red and orange flames on the sides. (A/N: I have a pair of shoes with red and orange flames. It's black, and I like them very much! ^_^)  
  
Checking herself one last time in the mirror, Kagome raced down the stairs, locking the door behind her.  
  
Unfortunately, she didn't hear the phone ringing.  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga drummed his fingers on his desk.  
  
He hung up.  
  
He dialed again.  
  
'Please pick up, Kagome!'  
  
But it only kept ringing.  
  
Sighing in defeat, he hung up. Looking gloomily out the window, he couldn't help but feel depressed.  
  
'Where are you, my Kagome?'  
  
===  
  
Inu-Yasha: You took that line out from me! I was thinking about Kikyo!!  
  
Saki: So? =P  
  
Kouga: Hah! In your face, Dog-Turd!!  
  
Inu-Yasha: You...! *Pulls out Tetsusaiga*  
  
Kagome: NO, Inu-Yasha! Sit!!  
  
*Crash*  
  
Saki: Ahem. Now...on with this fic, please!  
  
===  
  
Kagome walked down the streets. She glanced at her watch. It was 12:09. She picked up her pace. Glancing to her left right, she crossed the road.  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga was still staring out his window. It was starting to get cloudy outside. A rainfall was promised.  
  
The weather seemed to know how Kouga felt...  
  
~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha ran around his room, pulling on clothes and attempting to clean up his room a bit. Downstairs, his brother Sesshoumaru, hearing all the clattering upstairs, rolled his eyes, and went back to doing his work.  
  
Inu-Yasha moved all his dirty clothes into one pile in a corner of his room. Oh well...it wasn't wonderful, but it would do.  
  
A clap of thunder got his attention. Rain began to fall.  
  
'Raining huh? Damn. I wonder if Kagome brought an umbrella?'  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome stopped in her steps. Rain was pouring down like crazy.  
  
'Aww...shit. I didn't bring an umbrella. Now what!? I better get to Inu's quickly.'  
  
She broke into a run.  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga sat on the windowsill, leaned against the wall. He stared at the raindrops.  
  
'As if the sky is crying...'  
  
Suddenly, Kouga started getting uneasy.  
  
'What is this feeling? Of dreading something...?'  
  
~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha was going downstairs to wait for Kagome when he was hit by a gut instinct...  
  
...something really bad was about to happen...  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome ran as fast as fast as possible in the rain. She dodged random people on the streets. She shot envious looks at people who carried umbrellas, while she was getting soaked.  
  
Without looking, Kagome ran onto the road. She heard the beeping of a horn. The last thing she saw was a flash of blinding light, before she blacked out.  
  
~*~  
  
The doorbell rang. Inu-Yasha jumped up and opened the door.  
  
"Kag-!"  
  
"Hey."  
  
Miroku stood holding a large black umbrella, with a large grin plastered on his face, a red-in-the-face Sango behind him, under the same umbrella.  
  
Inu-Yasha let them enter, and closed the door behind them.  
  
Taking off their coats and shoes, Miroku and Sango looked around.  
  
"Nice place, Inu-Yasha." Sango commented.  
  
"Like a second home to me." Miroku said, grinning.  
  
Inu-Yasha, oddly, ignored them, but started climbing the stairs, motioning for Miroku and Sango to follow.  
  
"Is Kagome here yet?" Sango asked, following Inu-Yasha upstairs.  
  
"No...I was going to ask if you'd seen her, maybe."  
  
"Hmm..." Miroku said – err, hmm-ed.  
  
All three of them felt it. What was it? Anxiety? Whatever it was, it sure wasn't telling them they'd won the lottery.  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga gazed at the cloudy sky, pouring rain.  
  
'Last time I got this feeling, Kagome fell down a cliff, successfully shattering the bone in her left arm.'  
  
He shifted in his position uncomfortably.  
  
'Wherever you are Kagome, please be safe.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
There yah go. I know, it's so short!! And you're probably still thinking: Is it gonna be Inu/Kag or Kouga/Kag?! Well, truthfully...  
  
...I still derno. - -;;  
  
Whenever my thoughts veer to K/K, it jumps back to I/K, and vice versa. *Frustrated sigh* So I'll REALLY need your help here. Review and tell me your opinion. I really need it!  
  
Oh yeah, and in case some of you are wondering, this chapter has 'rain' in it, and the story is called 'Caught in the Rain'...don't worry, the story does not end ANY time soon. There's probably at least 20 or so chapters, and...well, keep reading...remember to review though ^_^! HUGGLES TO ALL WHO'VE REVIEWED SO FAR!!! COOKIES TOO!!  
  
Rushyuo: Thanx for the email-review. I'm glad you think that my fic is so great. XD Yes, I agree with you that I/K is more commonly favoured, and K/K less so. Yup, Inu does get a piece of Kag's mind about his playboy side...but still...It's just so hard, you know?!  
  
Sihara: Yup, I actually like the arcade scene too. ^_^ It's funny. Chapter 7 is mainly for the readers enjoyment, it doesn't take the story's plot very far...hehe. And of course, being a Kikyo hater *holds up flags with a bold red X on Kikyo's face*, it's natural to write chapters jammed with Kikyo bashing!! ^_~ Die Kikyo, die!!  
  
Smurf2005: Hmm...my work may not be the best, however, I still like it...But I promise to update whenever possible, and listen to your opinion! Yup, I also noted how few times the word 'sorry' has ever escaped Inu-Yasha's mouth...so I'd figure I'd make him apologize in this fic! =D Thnx for reviewing! I love to bash Kikyo! *Grabs a random object...turns out to be a ski pole...* Ummm...o_O; oh well. *Shrugs* *Starts beating Kikyo with ski pole*  
  
Kellie: Uwaaah! I'm so happy you've got it in your faves! Woot! That's what I do. I check almost everyday, or, whenever I'm on the computer, for updates! XD Yay Kouga/Kag! Yay Inu/Kag too! *Sigh* Before you ask, yes...I'm still stuck in this dilemma!! ;_;  
  
DemonFireGirlHotaru: *Phew* I was worried there for a moment. I'm...ok...with the living Kikyo, as I've said before. I definitely do not LIKE her very much, but I suppose I could...put up with her, at least. Gomen for jumping to conclusions, but whenever I hear 'Kikyo' my blood starts to boil I release a string of cuss words! _  
  
pikmin_234: Okay! I'll add that to the K/K votes list! Thnx for reviewing!! =)  
  
AMY ONEE CHAN: Thnx for your support! Here's the update you asked for! (\(^_^)/)  
  
c-dog: I agree with you, as long as there's Kikyo bashing, it can't be that bad, right? When are you gonna update your fics!? I've been waiting for them, I wanna know wut happens next! I've read all of your Inu-Yasha fics. Yup...I have! Please update!!! Onegai! *Begs*  
  
That's all for now, ja! R&R PLEASE!!!  
  
Signed,  
  
Saki,  
  
Or,  
  
~anime-fantasy~  
  
Push...  
  
The...  
  
Purple...  
  
Button!  
  
^_^ 


	9. She's in the HOSPITAL?

This was a MUCH faster update than I had planned, but I guess that's good. And I know that most people won't care, but I downloaded 'My Immortal' by Evanescence, and now I am basically addicted to that song. I love it so much! That's why I'm writing a songfic for it! The songfic should be posted in about...I derno...a week, maybe? Perhaps more, perhaps less. I'm not sure. Happy reading!  
  
^_^ If you haven't figured it out, I love this smiley! ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Nine: She's in the HOSPITAL!?  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Kagome cracked her eyes open.  
  
Pain shot through her body when she tried to sit up.  
  
'Where am I?' She thought. Opening her eyes completely, she looked around, while still lying down. White walls, white sheets. Looking down, she saw several tubes connected to her.  
  
'I must be in the hospital...what happened?'  
  
All the memories suddenly came flooding back to her. Going to Inu's house, the rain, running, the flash of blinding light...  
  
'I was hit by a car...'  
  
Feeling exhausted, Kagome slipped back into sleep.  
  
~*~  
  
Mrs. Higurashi, Yuuki for first, paced the living room.  
  
"Where is Kagome!?"  
  
There was a wide range of possibilities, from hanging out with her friends, to out shopping, taking a walk, to perhaps even at some bar doing...  
  
'No, no! Kagome isn't that kind of a girl!'  
  
Another very scary prospect struck her.  
  
'Kagome isn't in any...danger...right?'  
  
A mental picture of a dead, bloody and battered Kagome lying in a ditch flitted across her mind. Yuuki quickly pushed it away.  
  
'NO!'  
  
Suddenly, the phone rang. She seized the phone.  
  
"Hello?" Yuuki said into the phone urgently.  
  
"Mrs. Higurashi? This is from Tokyo Hospital. Um, your daughter is currently here in the hospital. She was hit by a car, and has several injuries. Fortunately, her life is not in danger."  
  
Yuuki sighed in relief. After assuring the hospital she'd be coming to check on Kagome, she hung up.  
  
Just as she hung up, the phone rang again. Yuuki picked it up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mrs. Higurashi?"  
  
"Oh, hello Kouga."  
  
"Is Kagome there, by any chance?" His tentative voice spoke.  
  
"Oh...umm, Kouga, I'm afraid I've got some bad news, and some good news."  
  
"Yes!?"  
  
"Err...Kagome is in the hospital. They called just before you did. Fortunately, she still lives. I'm going to visit her right now. Would you like to come too?"  
  
"Yes, I would. Thank you Mrs. Higurashi."  
  
"Thanks for worrying about Kagome. I'll see you soon."  
  
Yuuki hung up, again. She sighed. She was beginning to put on her shoes and coat when Souta stepped into the room.  
  
"Where's sis?"  
  
"She was in an accident, and now she's at the hospital. You should come with me to see her."  
  
"OH MY GOD! SIS WAS HIT BY A CAR!?"  
  
"Yes, Souta, that's why I think we should go see her as soon as possi..."  
  
He was already out the door. Yuuki smiled to herself. Souta may not show it all the time, but he deeply cared for his older sister.  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga was in his shoes and out the door in two minutes, flat. He jumped into his dark blue convertible, and drove off in the direction in the hospital. He was definitely speeding, but who cared about that when Kagome was hurt and in the hospital!?  
  
He sure didn't care about it right now.  
  
Ignoring the beeps and honks he was getting from other drivers, he drove into the hospital parking lot, turned off the engine and raced through the doors. A nurse came over to tell him to 'keep it down', since there were patients. Nodding absently, Kouga walked up to the front desk, where Mrs. Higurashi and Souta already were, and getting directions to Kagome's room.  
  
"Mrs. Higurashi!" Kouga called out. Yuuki turned and faced her daughter's best friend.  
  
"Oh, Kouga! You came! I'm going up to Kagome's room right now. Coming?"  
  
"Definitely."  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome woke up for the second time. Her head throbbed, and she felt dizzy.  
  
"Ugh..."  
  
Suddenly, she heard the door open.  
  
Yuuki walked in to see her daughter lying in the hospital bed, in hospital pajamas, her head bandaged, and her hands too.  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
Before Kagome could contemplate what was going on, she saw herself looking up at a blurry figure standing over her. She blinked, clearing her vision.  
  
"...Mama...?" She whispered. Yuuki stood over her daughter, and clutched Kagome's hand.  
  
"Kagome! You're ok!" She said, breaking down into sobs. Kagome turned her head to the left, where she saw Souta kneeling at her bedside, and Kouga.  
  
"Sis!" Souta exclaimed.  
  
Kagome smiled weakly.  
  
"Hey squirt." She said. She tried to sit up, but it was painful to move. She winced.  
  
Kouga was there immediately to stable her.  
  
"You shouldn't move yet, Kagome." He said, laying her back down.  
  
Kagome smiled up and him.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Yuuki wiped away the remaining tears, while Souta struggled not to cry. Kagome blinked and looked from her mother to her little brother.  
  
"Don't cry! I'm ok! There's nothing to cry about!"  
  
"But we were so worried!" Yuuki said, a fresh wave of tears coming to her eyes.  
  
Kagome faltered for a moment.  
  
"I'm sorry for worrying you..."  
  
"It's ok. You should be more careful next time though." Kouga spoke quietly.  
  
"Would you like me to inform your other friends? Sango, perhaps?" Yuuki asked her daughter.  
  
Kagome nodded, starting to feel the heavy weight of drowsiness coming. She yawned slightly.  
  
"I'm a bit tired...so...I think I'll...yeah..." She said, falling asleep again.  
  
~*~  
  
Sango paced her room.  
  
Kagome wasn't at home. No one was at her home.  
  
Miroku and Inu-Yasha had called too. Nothing!  
  
Where was she!?  
  
She was worried as hell. Where could she be...?!  
  
Kouga's house, maybe?  
  
But Kagome wouldn't just...not show up at Inu-Yasha's place. There had to be some...  
  
'Omigod! Was she raped or something!?' Sango thought in horror. She quickly cancelled that out.  
  
'No...Kagome's too strong to have been. She can kick some serious ass, that girl can.'  
  
So where in all the hells could she be?!  
  
The phone rang. Sango pounced on it.  
  
"Kagome?!"  
  
"Erm...hello Sango. This is Mrs. Higurashi."  
  
"Oh...hi Mrs. Higurashi. Would Kagome be home by any chance...?"  
  
"No, she's at the hospital."  
  
"THE HOSPITAL?! OMIGOD, WHAT HAPPENED!?"  
  
"It's ok Sango. She was in a car accident, and has some...minor injuries. The doctors say she'll be fully recovered in a few weeks."  
  
Sango sighed in relief. Kagome was ok!  
  
"Thank heavens...oh. Would be ok if I...could...visit her?"  
  
Yuuki gave Sango the address of the hospital and Kagome room number.  
  
"Thanks Mrs. Higurashi. I guess I'll be seeing you later."  
  
"Alright. See you soon."  
  
Sango hung up the phone.  
  
"I better call Inu-Yasha!"  
  
She dialed Inu-Yasha's number.  
  
Someone picked up.  
  
"Inu-Yasha speaking."  
  
"Inu-Yasha! I found out where Kagome is!"  
  
"You did!?"  
  
"She's in the hospital -"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"Calm down, man! She's ok. She was in a car accident, but she'll pull through. No life threats."  
  
"Thank goodness...or else I'd have to hunt that driver down, wring his neck until it breaks into little pieces, starts gushing blood and the bones are sticking out -"  
  
"I did not need to know that."  
  
"Hmm. Are we allowed to visit?"  
  
"Yup. I got the address."  
  
Sango repeated the address Mrs. Higurashi had given her.  
  
"Thanks a bunch Sango."  
  
"Kay. See yah."  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga watched Kagome sleep.  
  
'She looks so beautiful when she's asleep...'  
  
He was the only in the room, other than Kagome herself. Souta had soccer practice, and Mrs. Higurashi had to drop him off. She had been extremely reluctant on leaving her daughter's side, but in the end, she gave in.  
  
'At least Kouga is here to watch her. He wouldn't let anything happen to Kagome...' Yuuki had thought as she left.  
  
She was right too. Kouga sat by Kagome's bedside, never even getting up once. Suddenly, the door opened, to reveal Sango. Inu-Yasha and Miroku followed.  
  
"Kagome-!" She cried out, only to have Kouga silence her with a glare.  
  
"She's sleeping!"  
  
Sango mouthed an 'oh' and tiptoed over to Kagome.  
  
Sango was clenching her own hands when Kagome began to stir. Groaning, she opened her eyes.  
  
"S-Sango?"  
  
"Kagome! You're ok!" Sango wailed as she flung her arms around a shocked Kagome.  
  
"Sango! I'm fine! I'll live!" She said, laughing. Despite her words, she winced.  
  
"Err...Sango? You're sort of...hurting me..."  
  
"Omigod! I'm so sorry!!" Sango exclaimed. Kagome waved it off, just as she noticed the other two new visitors.  
  
"Inu-Yasha! Miroku!" Kagome said, surprised.  
  
"Are you ok?" Inu-Yasha asked, taking hold of her hand. Kagome looked at their joined hands, and blushed crimson.  
  
(A/N: I'm getting a sense of déja vu...)  
  
"I-I'm fine. Thanks for worrying." She whispered the last part.  
  
Kouga scowled.  
  
(A/N: Déja vu...again...)  
  
Miroku noticed this, and raised an eyebrow at Kouga, who didn't notice. Sango picked this up too, and shook her head.  
  
"Ahem." Miroku cleared his throat.  
  
Kagome drew back her hands slowly, as if she didn't want to.  
  
"Why'd you all come?" She questioned.  
  
Sango sighed.  
  
"Because we were worried about you! You didn't show up at Inu-Yasha's house yesterday, you didn't return home last night, and you weren't there in the morning either!"  
  
Kagome looked down.  
  
"Sorry, guys."  
  
"What are you apologizing for?!" Kouga suddenly cried out. "It's not your fault!! What I really want to do is go kill that person you nearly killed you!"  
  
"Why should YOU kill that person? What if I want to?" Inu-Yasha growled at Kouga. Kouga growled back. They were in a glaring contest when Kagome spoke up.  
  
"No, no! It was my fault! I was being careless! I ran onto the road without looking, so...yeah..."  
  
"That's all right, Lady Kagome. We shouldn't blame it on anyone. You were in the rain, and of course, it is an instinct to find shelter as soon as possible. The driver obviously couldn't stop in time, so, it shouldn't be either's fault."  
  
Sango nodded.  
  
"Well, I still think you should sue that guy." Inu-Yasha huffed, crossing his arms.  
  
Kagome smiled, and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"How do you even know that it's a guy? It could be a woman for all you know. And no...I'm not gonna sue...since there aren't any major injuries anyway."  
  
"YOU'RE LETTING HIM SLIP!? HE COULD HAVE KILLED YOU!!" Kouga yelled.  
  
Kagome flinched.  
  
"Don't yell, you idiot!" Inu-Yasha hissed in Kouga's face. "Kagome's gonna get a headache from hearing your voice!"  
  
"No she isn't! She'll probably get sick from seeing your face!" Kouga growled back.  
  
Kagome buried her face in her hands. Sango massaged her temples while Miroku shook his head.  
  
"Get sick from seeing MY face!? She's probably gonna puke cause of your presence!"  
  
"Oh yeah? Well-!"  
  
"YOU GUYS!!" Kagome shouted. "Stop it!" She glared at both of their guilty faces. Sango and Miroku just continued to shake their heads in a pitying way.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Sorry, Kagome."  
  
Kagome sighed. She muttered something incoherently.  
  
Suddenly, Inu-Yasha slapped his forehead.  
  
"I forgot I brought something for you, Kag. Here." Inu-Yasha revealed what was a medium sized, fluffy white teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck, and handed it to Kagome. Kagome gasped as she accepted the gift.  
  
"It's so cute!!" She squealed, cuddling it.  
  
Kouga was fighting back a flaming rage. First of all, Inu-Yasha had called Kagome 'Kag', which was HIS nickname for her. Second, Inu-Yasha had brought a gift, while he himself had brought nothing. In his hurry to get here, he hadn't really...gotten anything. This made him extremely jealous.  
  
Sango gazed at Kouga, who was clenching his fist so hard, she was surprised he didn't draw blood.  
  
"Thank you Inu-Yasha! You're so sweet!" Kagome chirped, petting the furry bear, completely oblivious of Kouga, who was almost trembling with anger and jealousy.  
  
Inu-Yasha grinned and smirked in Kouga's way. Kouga shook a fist in Inu- Yasha way. It was rather awkward, but he got the message through, because Inu-Yasha gave Kouga the finger, back.  
  
All the while, Kagome ranted on about how cute the fuzzy bear was. ^_^  
  
While Kouga was making a kicking gesture and Inu-Yasha a punching one, Kagome spoke up.  
  
"Ahem."  
  
Both stopped, and turned their heads to Kagome, blinking innocently.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Kagome frowned.  
  
"I'm not an idiot. Now if you're done with your immature threats and childish antics..."  
  
"Who're you to talk? Have you forgotten the whole Pocky episode already?" Kouga muttered, not expecting her to hear.  
  
Alas, she did.  
  
"What did you say!?"  
  
"Nooothing," Kouga said, rolling his eyes. A vein throbbed in Kagome's temple while a tick went off in her eye.  
  
"What did you say, Kouga?" Kagome said in a deep, hollow, and downright creepy voice.  
  
Kouga cringed while Kagome seemed to loom over him, black flames surrounding her.  
  
"U-umm, th-that you s-s-should b-be...rest-ting?" He stuttered. Kagome was about to yell when Miroku coughed.  
  
"Kagome, you must be aware of your 'condition'." He informed in a false, serious voice.  
  
Sango sweatdropped.  
  
Kagome, Inu-Yasha and Kouga all blinked. They exchanged glances and glares (I'll leave you do figure out which was to which...), then shrugged.  
  
"Meh." Kagome stated, and started yelling at Kouga anyway. Inu-Yasha sighed.  
  
Sango rubbed her temples again. Miroku inched closer towards her.  
  
"Since our friends seem to be preoccupied at the moment..." he trailed off. Sango was about to respond when she felt a hand on her rear. Her vein popped.  
  
"PERVERT!!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, walloping Miroku with full force. He flew through the air, crashing into a wall and sliding down, leaving a Miroku-shaped imprint.  
  
Kagome shook her head at how juvenile her friends were, not to mention herself. She began swaying from all the excitement and frenzy.  
  
"I feel dizzy..." She said, passing out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wow. That was a lot faster than I thought. I'm rather proud of myself, wouldn't you say so yourself? Of course, this chapter doesn't take the plot very much further...but the rivalry between Inu-Yasha and Kouga is very significant. I hope I got the message very clearly through. And...I've got some good news!!  
  
I've decided. I'll leave it to you to realize what I'm talking about...to the people who have asking me every chance they have, you should SURELY know what I'm referring to...^_~ If you really can't figure it out, keep reading. If you know what I'm talking about, keep reading anyway.  
  
Now...being evil as I am, I'm not telling you what the pairing is, yet. You'll see soon. Actually, it's sort of a compromise...well, not really. You'll see what I mean. You'll just have to read on to find out what I'm talking about. ^_~  
  
Whatever: Well...I hope this chapter answered your question! =)  
  
Rushyuo: I made up my mind!! But I'm not telling anyone yet! You'll find out! Muhahaha, I'm so evil! Eeevil!! Yup! XD  
  
Amy: Gomen [sorry] for the cliffie, but I really couldn't resist. Well, it was a semi-cliffie. Ah whatever it was, your question should have been pretty much answered in this chapter. ^_^  
  
Ja ne, minna!  
  
Saki  
  
~  
  
Click...  
  
The...  
  
Little...  
  
Button...!  
  
Please? 


	10. Get Well Soon

Saki: -Gasp- It's been almost a week!  
  
Inu-Yasha: Since what?  
  
Saki: Since I updated.  
  
Inu-Yasha: ...oh. So?  
  
Saki: - -;; Readers like updates. Let me teach you the basic fanfiction cycle.  
  
Updates = Happy Readers = Reviews = Happy Author = Updates  
  
Inu-Yasha: ...  
  
Saki: Nevermind. I made this chapter slightly longer, since I made you all wait so long! Forgive me! ;_; But you must keep in mind, that if you maul me to death, I won't be able to update!!  
  
Inu-Yasha: On with the story will yah, wench?!  
  
Saki: T_T I should get Kagome to sit you...!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Disclaimer: What would you do if I said I owned Inu-Yasha? ...Nevermind, don't answer that.  
  
*  
  
Oh yes. Before, I forgot to mention that: THIS FIC IS AU, AND CONTAINS OOCness!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Ten: Get Well Soon  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Aren't you glad that cards come in so many different designs, even though they basically say the same thing inside them?  
  
Kagome sure thought so.  
  
As soon as Inu-Yasha and gang found out about Kagome, sure as hell, word got around.  
  
~*~  
  
-After school-  
  
"Hey, Sango!!" Ayumi waved at Sango frantically, calling her over to where she, Yuka and Eri stood. Sango glanced at Miroku, Inu-Yasha and Kouga.  
  
"I'll be right back."  
  
Jogging over to Ayumi, Sango put on a small smile.  
  
'Not that I dislike these people...it's just that Eri and Yuka are really annoying...but then again, who am I to speak?'  
  
"Hey, Ayumi, Yuka, Eri."  
  
"Do you know where Kagome-chan is?" Ayumi asked, worry laced in her voice.  
  
Sango couldn't blame her for being so concerned. After all, Kagome hadn't been home all weekend and Monday. Of course...the second day someone was absent, either people start wondering – or they muttering.  
  
(Also known as rumours...)  
  
"Oh...okay well – err. Good and bad news."  
  
The other three girls held their breaths'.  
  
"Bad news: Kagome-chan is in the hospital."  
  
"What!" Yuka exclaimed. A few heads turned in her direction.  
  
"And the good?" Eri asked, now even more worried.  
  
"The good...the doctor says she'll be out in about a week or so."  
  
"Thank goodness!!" The trio cried out in unison.  
  
Sango sweatdropped and chuckled nervously.  
  
"If you want me to tell her something...I can bring it to her."  
  
Suddenly, the three girls broke into a babble over what they should get Kagome as a 'get well' gift.  
  
"Umm...I-I'll let you d-decide first..." Sango said, backing away.  
  
'Back away slowly and they won't notice...back away slowly and they won't notice...back away slowly and they won't notice...' she chanted in her head.  
  
(A/N: Lol, Sango! ...What? I do that all the time! I even say it out loud. I have very weird friends...so, 'back away slowly and they won't notice' is more of a tactic for me...^_^;...and all other people who still have some sanity left in them.)  
  
Sighing, she walked back over to where Miroku, Inu-Yasha and Kouga were standing.  
  
'I can't believe I have to hang out with three guys! Pretty annoying ones to, I'd say...most of the time.'  
  
::Sango's POV::  
  
I jogged up to them.  
  
"Hey."  
  
Miroku grinned and put his arm around my shoulder.  
  
"Glad you're back so soon."  
  
I blushed red and whacked him over the head.  
  
"Pervert!" I hissed under my breath.  
  
But, believe me, that isn't the worst he's done...by far.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"So, my lovely Sango, how was your weekend?" Miroku strolled up to me with a huge perverted grin, plastered on his face.  
  
He was just begging for me to wipe it off, huh?  
  
That's exactly what I planned to do, invitation or no.  
  
I inhaled for air. I'll give you one guess what I planned to use it for...  
  
(Nothing icky, so get your head's out of the gutter...)  
  
"YOU SICKO!! I AM NOT 'YOUR' SANGO! I AM NO ONE'S PROPERTY!! AND WHEN WILL YOU LEARN NOT TO LEAVE THAT PERVERTED SMIRK ON YOUR FACE!?" I yelled in his face, whacking him over the head. A little harder than I had intended, but still – he deserved it.  
  
However, he fell under the impact. Throwing out his arms that would stop his fall, he reached out and grabbed...  
  
...my chest.  
  
His face grew that little grin again, while I began to fall with him.  
  
He ended up in the dirt, and me, sprawled across him.  
  
Inu-Yasha and Kouga, spotting our little situation, burst out laughing. My face burned red.  
  
To make matters worse, Miroku's hand was still holding onto my chest.  
  
...  
  
Nevermind, make that BOTH hands.  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Of course, I had knocked him unconscious afterwards – but still!  
  
"Don't even TOUCH me!" I growled at Miroku.  
  
He grinned again.  
  
"But I was falling!"  
  
"But why'd you grab there?!"  
  
"Well – I reached out – I just...happened to grab your boobs?"  
  
My face flushed red from anger.  
  
"You...little...!"  
  
Miroku whimpered, and ducked behind Inu-Yasha, who had been watching, along with Kouga.  
  
Of course, they had been glaring at each other too – but then again...  
  
...they are rivals...  
  
...LOVE rivals, to be exact. I fought back the snicker that threatened to make itself heard. It ended out to be some kind of weird snort-cough.  
  
The three boys looked at me strangely.  
  
I blushed from embarrassment.  
  
"Erm. Anyways. Why don't we go visit Kagome? I'll bet she's lonely in the hospital."  
  
Our little 'rivals' immediately perked up. Both had odd gleams in their eyes. What were they planning...?  
  
Whatever it was, I had a feeling it would sure promise quite a show...  
  
...call it gut instinct.  
  
::Normal POV::  
  
The four made their way to the hospital, once in while a slap followed by a thud could be heard.  
  
(One guess...)  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome sat in the hospital bed, propped up. She had asked for the hospital people to move her bed next to the window, so that life in that little white room would be slightly more interesting.  
  
Autumn was soon...if it wasn't already here. The leaves were already changing colours, the air was crisp, and they sky was blue.  
  
And yet, Kagome was stuck in a blank, white, hospital room. She sighed. Life was really against her, wasn't it? Kagome began flipping through the memories of her life.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Wait, Kouga-kun!!" A four-year-old Kagome ran up to him and hugged him tightly.  
  
He blushed.  
  
She grasped onto his hand and started leading him into the kindergarten class. Kouga stopped at the door, refusing to go any further.  
  
"What's wrong, Kouga-kun?" Kagome asked, confused. She saw him staring. Following his gaze, her eyes fell upon Onigumo. She frowned slightly, but brushed it off. She tugged at him arm again.  
  
"Onigumo won't hurt you again, I promise. Gramps is already helping me train my miko powers! It's so cool!" Kagome raised her voice slightly while speaking of training her miko powers. Onigumo's eyes narrowed. He humph-ed and walked away, his little band trailing behind him.  
  
Kouga watched all this silently. He noticed that Onigumo's little band was a fair amount smaller – reasons unknown.  
  
Kagome smiled, also observing this. Only, she knew why. She tugged on Kouga's arm again.  
  
"Cummon!"  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Yup. That had been the day after she met Kouga. That day was so far away, yet it was so fresh in her mind. Kagome's eyebrows inclined slightly. But now...she seemed so different. Why? Was it because she was now seventeen, almost eighteen? Or was it...  
  
...because of Inu-Yasha? And all the others she had met? Of course, she had childhood friends like Kouga, Ayame and Sango.  
  
But...after meeting Inu-Yasha and – well – meeting people at high school...was she still the Kagome, the same one thirteen years back?  
  
Her eyes glazed over.  
  
No...she had changed. And the changed started before high school, Kagome realized. The first changes were when she was nine years old...a painful memory resurfaced to her mind.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
The rain pounded, the thunder rolled overhead.  
  
"Daddy?" Kagome called out. Her feet padded on the muddy ground softly. He had left to pick up something, since their car was still at the garage, being fixed. Kagome turned, around the corner of their shrine house. She tripped over something on the ground.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
Slowly picking herself up, she studied what she tripped over.  
  
Her lip began to tremble. No. No. No. It couldn't be.  
  
No. NO!!  
  
"NOO!" Kagome cried out, still on the ground. Tears poured down her dirt- streaked face.  
  
No...her father's body lay crumpled on the ground, his temple bleeding.  
  
"NOO!!" Kagome screamed again. She clutched onto her father's shirt, and shook his body and hard as she could.  
  
"NO! DADDY, WAKE UP!! STOP JOKING AROUND, DADDY! OPEN YOUR EYES!!"  
  
Another clap of thunder sounded. Kagome hugged her father's body tightly.  
  
"...please..." she whispered, hoping that the heavens could hear her.  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Kagome gazed at a leaf that fluttered from its spot on the branch to the ground.  
  
As sad as the memory was, she wouldn't allow herself to cry. She hadn't for years. For over six years, Kagome had not felt the prick of tears at her eyes. She remembered the memory of her father. Her father would not have let her cry.  
  
"...To be strong...to be happy...to follow my heart..." Kagome whispered to herself, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, she sighed. She squinted to make sure she wasn't crying.  
  
No tears fell.  
  
Kagome smiled weakly.  
  
'Wouldn't father be proud...?'  
  
She shook her head to clear her thoughts.  
  
'I have to think of a happier memory!'  
  
She chuckled upon recalling another incident.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Kagome-chan, wait!!" Sango panted, running up to her friend. Gasping, and clutching the stitch in her side, she turned her head to face thirteen-year- old Kagome.  
  
Kagome grinned at thirteen-year-old Sango.  
  
"Why are you so happy anyway?" Sango asked, finally regaining her breath.  
  
"Gramps said I could cancel my miko studies for FIVE YEARS, until I'm eighteen! I've finally beaten that other tutor – Tatsuki – you know her. Gramps said that since I beat her – and she's pretty strong – I can finally have a break! I mean, I've been doing this for ten years! Since age THREE! I FINALLY get a break!!"  
  
Sango sighed.  
  
"THIS – is what you made me run twenty times around the block for?"  
  
Kagome sweatdropped.  
  
"No. I made you run twenty times around the block because I was chasing you for your chocolate mousse Pocky."  
  
Sango nodded. "Aaahhh...I see..."  
  
Kagome nodded, too. "Come to think of it, I still am."  
  
Sango's eyes widened.  
  
"Uh oh."  
  
Even kilometers away, you could still hear Sango's strangled yells and Kagome laughs.  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Kagome was leaning on her pillows, still pondering about things when the door opened. Sango poked her head in.  
  
"Kagome-chan!" She exclaimed, opening to the door fully and striding over to hug her best friend.  
  
Kouga had to root his feet to the ground to prevent himself from doing the same.  
  
'Wait a minute. I'm her best friend. I should be able to hug her too.'  
  
He was going to hug her, when Inu-Yasha wrapped his arms around her torso.  
  
Kagome blushed. Sango chuckled. Miroku got his perverted grin again.  
  
Kouga fumed.  
  
"Uh...Inu-Yasha...? You can let go now." Kagome whispered shyly.  
  
"Eh? Oh...sorry."  
  
Sango snickered.  
  
"Bold, aren't we? You sure dove into the relationship fast. Getting to know each other well, eh?"  
  
Inu-Yasha flushed crimson.  
  
"M-me? H-her boyfriend? Never!" He pointed at Kagome.  
  
"What?" Kagome yelled. "Then what was that hug!? Nothing?"  
  
Kouga seized this chance. He draped his arm over Kagome's shoulder.  
  
"It was a friend-hug, I suppose? Then, I guess we can assume Kagome is nothing more than a friend to him?" Kouga asked, an odd glimmer in his eyes. Kagome chuckled. Miroku and Sango both raised their eyes in a skeptical way, while a grin played at their lips.  
  
Inu-Yasha pouted. "You're all out to get me!"  
  
Kagome giggled. "Aww! You're pouting! Come here, you poor little thing!" Kagome said, as Inu-Yasha sat down, opposite of Kouga. Kagome reached up and tweaked his left ear. The fluffy white appendage twitched slightly.  
  
"Aww!" Kagome cooed. She began petting both ears, giggling occasionally when they twitched.  
  
Kouga watched the two. Humph-ing, he looked away.  
  
Miroku studied the three. Kagome and Inu-Yasha, who were having a rather cute exchange, if he said so himself, and Kouga. Inu-Yasha was so rude and harsh around most people, but when with Kagome, he was...soft? One could say that. The only problem was...he WAS a player...although he usually wasn't like this around other girls. Inu-Yasha acted 'bad' around the other females. He was glad that someone could reach out and touch Inu-Yasha's heart, and melt it.  
  
However, there was Kouga. Kagome and Kouga were best friends – along with Sango. But he wasn't blind. To anyone who hung around them all day, it was plain to see that Kouga was head over heels in love with Kagome.  
  
If only she'd see it...he sighed.  
  
Sango cleared her throat. Kagome and Inu-Yasha separated from each other with a blush.  
  
"Sorry," Kagome mumbled.  
  
Sango chuckled. "That's ok. Next time, get a room."  
  
"SANGO!!" Kagome hollered. Inu-Yasha shook a fist. Miroku wrapped his arm around Sango's waist.  
  
"If Lady Kagome and Inu-Yasha get a room, don't we deserve one?" He asked, wiggling an eyebrow.  
  
"Yuck! You lecher!!" Sango pushed him away, punching him on the head again.  
  
"My love is so cruel to me...!" Miroku said, crying anime-style. T_T  
  
Kagome sweatdropped, laughing nervously. Inu-Yasha had on a bored expression, while Kouga was still glaring at Inu-Yasha. Suddenly, he cleared his throat.  
  
"Ahem," Kouga started. "Don't you recall how last time, it got too chaotic, and Kagome fainted? We don't want to stress Kag again."  
  
"Whoops, sorry Kagome-chan!" Sango apologized hurriedly.  
  
"It's ok, Sango. Last time I still had my headache. I'm fine now. I think I'll be able to get up and walk around. I tried today. I can stand."  
  
"YOU WHAT!?" Kouga and Inu-Yasha burst out at the same time.  
  
Kagome shrank back.  
  
"I stood up. I can't stay in bed all day!"  
  
"But you could have hurt yourself! Badly!"  
  
"No I would not have!"  
  
"Yes you would!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"YES!"  
  
"NOOOOO!!"  
  
"YEEEEES!!"  
  
"NO! NO! NO! NO!!!!!"  
  
"Yes!!"  
  
"NOOOOOO!!!! I WOULD NOT HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kagome screamed. Everyone backed into a wall.  
  
Seeing that they were all terrified, Kagome smirked inwardly. Once again, she came out victorious.  
  
Kagome started feeling drowsy. Letting out a yawn, she slid down in her position.  
  
"I'm going to sleep...see yah later guys..." Kagome said, and fell asleep.  
  
Sango poked her friend. Kagome's only rely was a light snore.  
  
"How does she do that? She says 'I'm going to sleep' and she falls asleep – right then and there!"  
  
The other three shook their heads, baffled by the mystery as much as Sango.  
  
"Oh well. Let's go. We can visit tomorrow." Sango whispered, grabbing her things. All four tiptoed out of the room, trying to disturb their friend.  
  
Along the way, Miroku knocked over a chair.  
  
Inu-Yasha slapped his forehead.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome opened her eyes groggily.  
  
"Uughh..."  
  
She turned over on her side. She looked at her bedside table.  
  
'Something seems different...'  
  
She closed her eyes. Five seconds later, they snapped open.  
  
The bedside table was covered in cards, stuffed animals, flowers and all sorts of gifts.  
  
'I thought something was different...' Kagome smiled, picking up a fluffy blue bear.  
  
Sighing contently, she held it close to her, and fell asleep again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Once again: I'm sorry I made you wait so long! But hear me out!! I had writer's block what seemed like ages to me, and I couldn't think of how to write this chapter. So, I spent a lot of time reading other fanfics, for ideas. Well...it sort of worked. And in the end, it was Rushyuo who pestered me until I updated. ^_^; This would originally have been updated a day later, but...oh well. I doubt it makes much of a difference. Oh and....  
  
...March Break has started! I have more time to write!! Yay!! =D  
  
And for the pairings, I've decided, but I'm not telling yah!! I'm so evil. I'll tell you when the time is right...  
  
japan_anime_21: ^_^ Arigatou!  
  
Sihara: Hehe. Yeah. I know what pairing it's gonna be, I know that almost everyone has no clue, but...hehehe...I'll tell you in time.  
  
Diable: Thanks!  
  
Wolf: Yeah. I've never been hit by a car, so I'm only imagining what it would be like. I'm not saying I want to be hit by a car...- -;;  
  
c-dog: Aww...tell me when you're getting your computer back. I had my computer privileges taken away for about a week, a year ago, and I nearly went insane! ...wait...I'm already insane...on the most part ^_^;;  
  
Rushyuo: Thank you for pestering me until I updated ^-^. Yes, you clicked the button.  
  
Ryuki: Yay! I'm surprised I got so many reviews. I was hardly expecting thirty! Well... - -;; that quickly. Thank you pointing out, colour-blind people can't see a 'purple' button. Indeed, I shall change my wording. ^.^ Yeah, I realized Kag is OOC, but then again...it IS an AU fic, and...all my characters are OOC!! That's ok! ^_^;;;  
  
ArcticFoxFire: Yay! I'm usually an Inu/Kag fan too, but sometimes there's a fic that will make me think otherwise. ^.^ Thank you!  
  
inukagforever: Hmm...from your name, I'm assuming that you're an Inu/Kag fan? ^.^ Hehe. Oh well. Here's the update you asked for. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Ja, Saki  
  
~  
  
Click...  
  
The...  
  
Little...  
  
Button...!  
  
^-^ 


	11. Never Felt Better

I know! I am the WORST AUTHOR ON THIS PLANET!! *Sob* Nine days! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry!! I made this chapter slightly longer (by about 5 pages) because of the long wait!  
  
Disclaimer: I'll own Inu-Yasha when Naraku suddenly appears in front of Shippo, asking for love advice.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Eleven: Never Felt Better  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Kouga tuned out the history teacher's voice while tapping his pen on his desk.  
  
'So boring...I wish Kagome were here...'  
  
He made up his mind and decided to visit her after school, before the others did.  
  
'Will I ever tell her...?'  
  
He turned his attention on Kagome's empty desk. He noticed with a frown, that Inu-Yasha's gaze was also on her empty seat.  
  
He was brought back to reality when the teacher's voice rang out.  
  
"For homework, read pages 381 to 390 and write out a five-page essay...minimum!"  
  
Kouga sighed irritably. Sure, five pages wasn't too much compared to what they usually got – heck, that was tiny – but still. Homework meant less time go see Kagome!  
  
Then again...why was he complaining about history homework? Mr. Yushiko, the most hated math teacher, had given them twenty pages of problems – fifty questions each – to work on. Twenty pages! Due the next day!! Was that guy mental or what!?  
  
Probably.  
  
Picking up his books, Kouga made to walk out, but was stopped by someone.  
  
"Erm, Kouga?" A timid voice spoke. Kouga looked down slightly, to see Ayame.  
  
"Oh. Hey, Ayame. What's up?"  
  
"I wanted to ask...if you...maybe, wanted to go out with me this Friday – to the movies?" She asked, blushing red as her hair.  
  
"Umm...Sorry, I can't. Maybe some other time..." He trailed off.  
  
'Or maybe never...'  
  
"Oh. Okay then. Maybe next week, then! See yah round!" Ayame looked disappointed but perked up instantly when Kouga mentioned 'some other time'. She skipped off with a wink.  
  
Sighing again, Kouga started on his way to his locker.  
  
"Does she ever give up?"  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga sighed, again.  
  
'Which ones would Kagome like...!?'  
  
He studied his choices carefully.  
  
Finally, he decided to buy a single creamy pink rose.  
  
'Maybe I could get a red one, and...confess? Would she freak out?'  
  
Shaking his head, he paid and left the shop.  
  
Walking down the streets, he thought of the entire thirteen years he spent with her.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Ha! I beat you again!!" Seven-year-old Kagome cried out, jumping up and down.  
  
Moments later, Kouga came into view on the hill.  
  
"Yes...you beat me, again." He pretended to sigh.  
  
"Aw! Cheer up, we'll go get some ice cream later!" Kagome clobbered him with a hug.  
  
Kouga grinned.  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Kouga looked up at the blue sky.  
  
'Will you ever try to comfort me with a hug again?'  
  
-Flashback-  
  
"Not so cocky now, are we?"  
  
Twelve-year-old Kouga smirked from the tree branch. Kagome pulled herself up and sat down next to him.  
  
"Oh shuddup..." Kagome huffed, rocking her feet back and forth on the tree branch.  
  
"How come you've been losing all our races?"  
  
"Stop mocking me about it! I'm a girl!!" Kagome yelled, punching him playfully on the arm. She lost her balance, and started tipping over.  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
Suddenly, Kagome felt two arms around her waist. She looked up, and met azure eyes.  
  
Kagome blushed, lost in the icy blue orbs.  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
'Will I ever be your savior again? Will we ever look into each other's eyes and be lost, never wanting to return to reality?'  
  
Kouga gave a small sigh and continued on his way.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome sat at her window seat. She had finally regained use of her legs, and could walk easily as before. She gazed outside.  
  
'Yes...fall is here...winter is approaching fast...'  
  
A small frown appeared on Kagome's face. She never really liked winter that much.  
  
'I wonder if Inu-Yasha likes winter...? If he does, then maybe I can learn to enjoy it...' her frown disappeared, a smile replacing it. Her thoughts drifted to a certain silver-haired amber-eyed boy.  
  
'What is he doing right now? I hope he's not with another girl...especially not Kikyo!'  
  
A soft sigh escaped her lips.  
  
'Why must you be a player?'  
  
But then again...  
  
'Why must I...have fallen in love with a player? Why must I love you, Inu- Yasha? How is it that I could have so easily fallen in love with you? How can you capture my heart with one look, one smile, one glance?'  
  
Suddenly, a memory came to Kagome's mind, one she had forgotten for a long time.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
Kagome huffed as she climbed a huge oak tree.  
  
"Not so cocky now, are we?"  
  
Twelve-year-old Kouga smirked from a tree branch above her. Kagome pulled herself up and sat down next to him.  
  
"Oh shuddup..." Kagome huffed, rocking her feet back and forth on the tree branch. So he beat her again...so what?  
  
"How come you've been losing all our races?"  
  
"Stop mocking me about it! I'm a girl!!" Kagome yelled, punching him playfully on the arm. She lost her balance, and started tipping over. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
Suddenly, Kagome felt two arms around her waist. She looked up, and met azure eyes.  
  
Kagome blushed, lost in the beautiful icy blue orbs.  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Kagome shifted positions. How come she suddenly remembered that? Yes, there was that time where she had almost drowned in those mystical pools of icy blue. They had ended up staring into each other's eyes for about fifteen minutes before pulling away, blushing.  
  
It was something she had kept from everyone else, even Sango.  
  
"Yes, I did like Kouga at that time..." Kagome whispered to no one. She recalled writing in her diary about how weird it was, to have a crush on your best friend. Giggling whenever Kouga did something weird, or even stupid, just to amuse her.  
  
But after that year, she had grown out of it. And now?  
  
'Now, I've fallen for Inu-Yasha.'  
  
Her mind drifted back to her object of affection.  
  
The creaking of her door brought her out of her daydreams. Kagome turned around and found herself staring into icy blue eyes – just as she had six years ago.  
  
Kouga smiled and sat down next to Kagome on the window seat.  
  
"Feeling ok?"  
  
Kagome smiled.  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
Kouga pulled out the rose he bought on his way.  
  
"Umm...I got this for you." He said, handing it to her, while a light blush tinged his cheeks.  
  
Kagome gasped. Accepting the gift, she touched the delicate petals.  
  
"Wow. Thanks."  
  
She was about to get up and put it on the bedside table, but Kouga grabbed onto her wrist.  
  
"Kouga?"  
  
He stared into her stormy blue eyes.  
  
"Kagome. I...I wanted to tell you that...I really l- "  
  
"Kagome-chan!!"  
  
Sango ran towards Kagome and clobbered her with a hug.  
  
"Sango! How's school? What did I miss?"  
  
Kouga sighed irritably. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed down.  
  
'Nevermind. I'll tell her when the time is right...'  
  
The two girls chatted excitedly. Soon, Inu-Yasha and Miroku appeared, gasping for air.  
  
"Sango! What was that? Running us over and taking off like that!?" Inu- Yasha wheezed.  
  
Miroku nodded, trying to catch his breath. "Don't make us run all the way to the hospital again..."  
  
Sango laughed nervously. "S-sorry guys. Won't happen again!"  
  
"But Sango," Kagome chimed in. "Remember that time you took ate all my Pocky? You said it wouldn't happen again, but you did the same thing the next day!!"  
  
Sango gulped. Kagome laughed. Inu-Yasha and Miroku soon joined in.  
  
'They look so happy together.' Kouga thought to himself.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Kagome said after they stopped laughing. "I'm allowed home tomorrow! I'm finally getting out of this damn hospital."  
  
Unknown to Kagome, Sango, Inu-Yasha and Miroku exchanged looks and nodded. Sango cleared her throat.  
  
"Umm, Kagome? We'll be back in a moment. Kouga, come here."  
  
"Huh?" Was his oh-so-intelligent reply. Ignoring that, Sango dragged him and the two other boys out.  
  
Kagome sweatdropped. That was Sango all right.  
  
*  
  
"OK. Listen up. I have an idea."  
  
"Tell us something we don't know." Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes.  
  
*Bonk*  
  
"Ow!" Inu-Yasha yelled. Sango scowled.  
  
"Anyhow. I think we should throw a welcome home party for Kagome!"  
  
"We figured. I had the same thing in mind." Inu-Yasha stated. Miroku nodded.  
  
"We should make it a surprise party." Kouga cut in. "It'll be more fun that way, don't you think?"  
  
Sango nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"It should be at the shrine. You know...where she walks in, and suddenly we go 'Welcome Home!' or something."  
  
"Doesn't...that sound a bit corny?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
"It does actually. We should try something more original. Or else it's gonna seem like something taken out of a movie."  
  
Sango pondered this for a moment.  
  
"True...ok, scratch that. But it should still be a surprise party! I agree with Kouga on that."  
  
"Thank you." Kouga commented.  
  
Sango nodded. "So then, we'll think about this later. We've only got a day though."  
  
"Well then, how about..."  
  
*  
  
Kagome was absently petting her blue stuffed teddy bear, when her friends came back in.  
  
"What was all that about?" She questioned a smirking Sango.  
  
"Oh, nothing, nothing." Sango brushed it off. "Anyways, you like going out to night clubs right?"  
  
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Yeah..."  
  
Sango beamed and clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Ok well..." she faltered when she felt the familiar hand on her rear.  
  
"Mi...ro...ku...!" Sango growled. Miroku laughed nervously, backing away. Sango began advancing on him. Miroku made a run for it.  
  
Miroku was fast.  
  
Sango was faster.  
  
Ignoring Miroku's screaming, Inu-Yasha turned to Kagome.  
  
"So, how are your tedious days kept locked inside the hospital?" He asked, grinning.  
  
"Oh, they're just wonderful, thank you very much." Kagome replied, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Really?" Miroku asked, getting up from the ground.  
  
Everyone sweatdropped.  
  
"There's this thing called sarcasm..." Kouga muttered.  
  
Miroku chuckled nervously.  
  
"Anyhow – we have to run now. See you tomorrow, Kagome-chan!" Sango exclaimed, and skipped out of the room, the rest slowly trailing behind.  
  
"Bye!"  
  
"Later."  
  
"See yah later, Kag." Inu-Yasha smiled at her before leaving.  
  
Kagome blushed.  
  
'Is it just me, or were they acting a lot weirder than usual...?'  
  
(A/N: Oh no, Kagome – it wasn't just you!)  
  
~*~  
  
"This is going to be good!" Sango said excitedly. She rang the doorbell.  
  
A minute later, Mrs. Higurashi opened the door.  
  
"Oh! Why hello Sango!" She opened the door and let them all in.  
  
Sitting down in the living room, Mrs. Higurashi looked at Inu-Yasha and Miroku.  
  
(A/N: Remember, she already knows Sango and Kouga really well. Inu-Yasha and Miroku are Kagome's rather NEW friends, ok?)  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't introduce you earlier. Mrs. Higurashi, this is Inu- Yasha, and this is Miroku...get your hands off my butt...thank you...ahem. Yes. Inu-Yasha, Miroku, this is Mrs. Higurashi." Sango introduced.  
  
"Nice to meet you."  
  
"You must be the other two that have been visiting Kagome almost everyday!"  
  
"Yup. Say, Mrs. Higurashi," Sango started. "Would you allow us to throw a welcome-home party for Kagome-chan? Here?"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi grinned. "Ah...well, you see...I've already started."  
  
*  
  
"This is so cool! We hang out here, and then we're going to a night club!!" Sango yipped, munching on a chocolate chip cookie at the same time.  
  
They were in the basement, decorating it slightly. They had also decided on inviting someone else, so the numbers would be even.  
  
"So, who're we inviting again?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
"Oh. I'm not sure if you know her. Ayame?"  
  
Inu-Yasha pondered for a moment. He DID know Ayame, actually.  
  
"Hmm...if we weren't going a night club as well, I'd probably have invited Rin and Shippo too."  
  
"Shippo!?" Inu-Yasha yelled.  
  
"You know him?" Sango asked, surprised.  
  
"I know him, alright. The little runt spilled his coke all over me last year. Feh, of course, after that, I beat him up good."  
  
"THAT WAS YOU!?" Sango screamed.  
  
Inu-Yasha immediately backed into a wall. "What?"  
  
"HE CAME RUNNING TO ME AND KAGOME WITH A BLOODY LIP AND BROKEN NOSE!! AND HE JUST HAPPENS TO BE MY FRIEND!!"  
  
"My parents are friends with his." Kouga said, nodding.  
  
"And any friend of Sango's is mine." Miroku added.  
  
Inu-Yasha gulped.  
  
Sango glared at him. Invisible flames surrounded her. (A/N: Run Inu, run)  
  
"I'll spare you this once..." Sango started. (A/N: Or not...)  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded nervously.  
  
"However...I'll leave Kagome to deal with you...and, she...will be really pissed."  
  
Inu-Yasha paled.  
  
Sango chuckled evilly. Inu-Yasha could have sworn he saw her sprout horns, tail, and suddenly have a red trident in hand...  
  
"Ahem."  
  
They turned their heads to see Miroku balancing on a stepladder, stringing up streamers.  
  
"Inu-Yasha, go help him. Kouga, can you start getting some food out?" Sango instructed.  
  
"Sure. What kind?" He got up from the couch.  
  
"Are you really that thick? Snack food! Chips, candies, popcorn, chocolate...oh yeah, you know where Kagome keeps her Pocky, right? If we don't have Pocky, she's gonna slaughter us all..."  
  
Kouga laughed and started on his job.  
  
Sango picked up the phone and dialed Ayame's number.  
  
"Hello?" Someone spoke on the other line.  
  
"Ayame?"  
  
"Yup. This sounds like...Sango?"  
  
"How'd you know? Heh. Anyway, Kagome's coming back from the hospital, and we're throwing a welcome home party, then we're going to a night club. Do you want to come with us?"  
  
"Sure. Is Kouga there?" She asked hopefully.  
  
Sango giggled. "Still smitten over him, eh? Yes, he's here."  
  
"Great!"  
  
"Oh yeah. We're hanging out at Kagome's first. You know the address right?"  
  
"Yup. I'll be over in a flash! See yah!"  
  
"Buh bye."  
  
The phone went dead. Sango sighed. Now that was over with...  
  
She turned her head when a thud sounded. Sango looked over her shoulder to see Kouga, who was picking up what appeared to be a very large box. The contents were unknown.  
  
Well then, time to find out, right?  
  
"Kouga, what's in there? Looks heavy." Sango strode over and lifted the other end of the rectangular box.  
  
"Oof!"  
  
They put it down (dropped it down, whichever you prefer), and Kouga slit the tape and opened it.  
  
"This..." Kouga huffed, and starting prying open the cover. "Is where Kagome..."  
  
He opened it.  
  
"...keeps her Pocky!"  
  
Sango's eyes bugged out at the sight of the contents. It was filled to the rim with all the flavours of Pocky imaginable. Strawberry, strawberry mousse, chocolate, chocolate mousse (Kagome taught her about the differences of the normal flavour and the mousse), vanilla, almond crush, dark chocolate, coconut...and that was just for starters!  
  
She was at a loss for words. Kouga nodded.  
  
"Yup...so...now that we've got Pocky settled..." he walked off to find the other snacks and drinks he would need.  
  
Sango snapped out of her trance and looked around the room. She frowned when she realized there were hardly any chairs.  
  
Sango marched up the steps.  
  
*  
  
Inu-Yasha moved the coffee table aside. He looked around. Besides the couch, there were no seats.  
  
That was solved when Sango came down the stairs with several beanbag chairs.  
  
"Where'd you get those?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
"Kagome-chan's room." She answered simply, putting them in random spots.  
  
"Kagome's room? Can I see?"  
  
Sango laughed. "Why are you asking me? Ask Kagome when she gets back."  
  
Inu-Yasha frowned. "But YOU went up there."  
  
"Yeah, well, Kagome's already given me permission. Kouga can, too – but only if absolutely necessary."  
  
Inu-Yasha's frown morphed into a scowl. "So the idiot can go, too?"  
  
Sango blinked. "Well, Kouga is Kagome's close friend...they've known each other since kindergarten."  
  
Inu-Yasha crossed his arms and turned away. "Feh."  
  
Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ringing.  
  
Sango jumped up the stairs, three at a time. "I'll get it, Mrs. Higurashi!!"  
  
"Sure thing, Sango." Her voice sounded from the kitchen.  
  
Sango opened the door slightly.  
  
"Ayame!" She cried out excitedly. "Come in!"  
  
Ayame entered the house, and took off her shoes.  
  
"Where's Kouga?" She questioned.  
  
Sango giggled. "He's in the basement. You just can't forget him, huh? Everyone else is there too."  
  
Ayame frowned. "Who is else is there?"  
  
"Oh, just me, Inu-Yasha and Miroku. And soon, Kagome."  
  
"Inu-Yasha? Isn't he...the most popular guy in school!?"  
  
"Yeah..." Sango rolled her eyes. "A player too. But, Kagome likes him."  
  
Ayame winced. "Falling for a player? Ouch."  
  
Sango nodded. "But, surprisingly, he's getting better. He hasn't talked to Kikyo or any other girl flirtatiously for a week."  
  
"A week? That's gotta be hard for him. Kikyo? That slut?"  
  
"Follow me. Yeah. He went steady with Kikyo for a while before...well, they sorta dumped each other."  
  
Ayame burst out laughing. Sango grinned as they walked down the stairs to the basement.  
  
"Guys! Ayame's here!"  
  
Kouga froze.  
  
"KOUGA!!!" Ayame pounced on him.  
  
"H-hi Ayame." He stuttered.  
  
Miroku chuckled. Poor Kouga. Having a hyper Ayame clinging on to him like that.  
  
'But then...what wouldn't I give to have a hyper Sango clinging on me?'  
  
He soon got lost in La-la-Land.  
  
Inu-Yasha eyed Kouga and Ayame from the corner of his eye. He poked Sango.  
  
"Ow! What!?"  
  
"Is Ayame Kouga's girlfriend or something?" He whispered.  
  
Sango snorted. "You wish."  
  
"Then why is she so clingy to him?" Inu-Yasha frowned.  
  
"Ayame has liked Kouga since the first day they met – which was back in grade two. But...he only likes her as a friend."  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded.  
  
Sango watched Ayame chatter while Kouga would mumble something once in a while.  
  
'The same as how Kouga has liked Kagome for ages, but Kagome only likes him as a friend...' she sighed.  
  
She resolved to temporarily forget everyone's sad love life.  
  
Keyword: temporarily.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome packed up her belongings, and slung the backpack over her shoulder.  
  
"Yup...I think that's all..."  
  
Looking back at the room one last time, Kagome left.  
  
*  
  
Breathing in the crisp air, Kagome sighed. The sun was shining brightly, so she shielded her eyes as she looked up at the sky.  
  
"Finally out of that plain, white hellhole!"  
  
Her shoulders slumped at the next thought.  
  
"I've missed so much school..."  
  
She let out a muffled scream.  
  
"I just HAD to get hit by a car!"  
  
She came across the road again.  
  
"Look both ways, before crossing."  
  
No cars in view.  
  
She crossed quickly.  
  
"Phew. No more jaywalking either...!"  
  
Kagome suddenly felt like a very small child, still mastering the basics of crossing streets.  
  
She sweatdropped. "I'm seventeen for crying out loud..."  
  
The wind blew, and a few leaves fluttered into her hair. She shivered.  
  
"Better get home quickly."  
  
Kagome picked up her pace.  
  
~*~  
  
Mrs. Higurashi smiled as she heard the front door open.  
  
"Mama! I'm home!!" Kagome went into the kitchen.  
  
"Kagome, are you feeling better?" She hugged her daughter tightly.  
  
"Yup! How's everything at home?"  
  
"Your grandpa is still at Aunt Ruii's place. But...he told me to tell you that your miko studies will be starting again next week."  
  
Kagome's jaw dropped. "But he said they would start again next YEAR! When I'm eighteen!!"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "Yes, but – he also said that if you had still continued your miko studies, then you would never have gotten hit by that car...I agree with him."  
  
Kagome bit her lip. "Next...week?"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "I'm sorry, but it's for the best."  
  
Kagome sighed. "Fine." She mumbled, and started going up to her room.  
  
"Oh yes." Her mother's voice came from the kitchen. "You've got some...visitors in the basement."  
  
Kagome nodded dumbly, and dropped off her bag in her room.  
  
'For some reason, the way she said that, makes me feel like I'm back in the hospital...'  
  
She shook her head, and thudded back down the stairs.  
  
*  
  
"She's coming, you guys!" Sango exclaimed.  
  
*  
  
Kagome hummed 'Rhythm Generation' while stepping down into the basement.  
  
"Rhythm generation, heart beat, sensation..."  
  
She stepped into the basement.  
  
Looking at the floor, she noticed it was...different.  
  
She looked up, and yelled out in surprise.  
  
"Guys! You're...all here...?"  
  
Sango had a huge smile on her face while she strode over to her shocked friend.  
  
"Yup! We decided to throw a welcome home party for you! We're hanging out here for a while, then we're going to a night club!"  
  
Kagome nodded. "I wish I enjoy it to the max..." she sighed.  
  
"What? What happened!?" Sango asked, concern evident in her voice.  
  
"Gramps said that my miko studies have to pick up again..."  
  
Sango laughed. "Isn't that a good thing? That means whenever someone picks a fight with you, you can kick their ass ten times as hard!"  
  
Kagome smiled. "Yeah, I guess."  
  
"Kagome's a miko?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
"Yup. And I already know that you're a hanyou. Kouga is a wolf-demon actually. But people don't really care anymore – well, a few years back it was a big deal, but now humans, mikos, demons, and hanyous are all at the same equal level." Kagome explained.  
  
"You knew I was hanyou?" Inu-Yasha asked dumbly.  
  
Kagome snorted. "You're ears sorta gave it away."  
  
Inu-Yasha blushed. "Whoops...forgot about them."  
  
Kouga rolled his eyes. "You don't forget if you're a hanyou, mutt face."  
  
"Shut up, wimpy wolf!!"  
  
Miroku shook his head. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea revealing what they really were..."  
  
Ayame nodded. "How much are you betting that the name-calling is going to get a lot worse?"  
  
"I am." Kagome called out dryly.  
  
"I second that." Sango muttered.  
  
"Mm hmm." The four mumbled in unison.  
  
In the background, Kouga and Inu-Yasha continued their bickering...  
  
Kagome sighed. "Maybe I was better off in the hospital..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I'm sorry, I really am!! ;_;  
  
*Sigh* And I know, I basically never mentioned anything about Inu-Yasha being a hanyou, and Kouga being a demon. Sorry about that too. And I decided Ayame will be human in this fic.  
  
And I've got this new addiction to these little candies...I don't even know what they're called, but they definitely don't beat Pocky – they're just really addicting. I don't even like the taste, yet I've eaten about ten of them today. Hmm...and I think I'll be going to the dentist's soon. Oh wait, I already am going. ^^;; Once again, I AM aware of how very pathetic I am...  
  
About the pairings. If you are simply dying to know, email me. This story gets really twisty in the middle, ok?  
  
Oh yeah. I'm moving in 29 days!! Which is four weeks and one day -_-. *Sigh*. Oh well. Don't be expecting too many updates in April, ok? If you haven't done the calculating, I'm moving in about a month, and next month is April...yes, of course you knew that. ^_^  
  
Oh yeah, I plan on changing my pen name right after I post this chapter – ok? So my pen name WILL NOT – I repeat – WILL NOT be anime-fantasy anymore...actually, why don't I change it now? Hold on.  
  
I'm back. OK! My new pen name is now Kawaii Saki-chan. Ok!? Ok! ^.^  
  
Rushyuo: Hmm...how did you guess it was Sango slapping Miroku? ^-^ And the flashback, yes, I know it's confusing. Well, you know Kagome's Pocky obsession? Sango has Pocky...so...if you put two and two together...yeah. I also realized you would never stop pestering and poking at me until I updated. -_- The other reader's are lucky you exist, they're getting updates faster than they originally would be. But then...you're not the only one...*sigh*...^^  
  
timelesslovelykagome: Kikyo is revolting!! Yes, Inu-Yasha does hate Kikyo...near the end...I don't think you'll be disappointed, after all. ^.^ I'm a huge fan of Inu/Kag, too. They're meant for each other. I actually developed this idea after watching episode 47 for the first time. I was really mad at Inu...oh well.  
  
Sihara: I am so evil. ^_^ Yup, I sure made you wait...-_-; Please forgive me.  
  
Rin Mitsuishi: Don't worry, there was once where I was clueless about 'AU' and 'OOC' too. The definitions are on my webpage (site, whatever). The link is http:// www. geocities. com / kawaii_saki_chan. Remember to take away all the spaces!!  
  
weird0: Yay! One more person says my fic is funny! *Draws a checkmark on hand* ^_^  
  
Airen2: Really? I thought this fic was actually pretty crappy. But people keep saying otherwise, so now I guess...I'm pretty proud of it. I know it's nothing compared to some of the REALLY good authors. Check out some of the authors of my faves list. I wish Kouga were real too...*sigh*. Kagome's sugar highs? I'm not sure if anyone can handle them properly without getting bulldozed over by her! Lol.  
  
wolf-chan: Here's the update. You're welcome. Sorry about the long wait. ^^;;  
  
animefun725: Thanks! ^_^  
  
c-dog: You finally updated!! YES!! *Runs around in circles, cheering* Actually, Inu-Yasha does sorta change...omg, I'm supposed to be telling!! Argh! Ah well...I'm glad you've got your computer back, update all your other stories too!! XD Please? *Puppy dog eyes*  
  
ArcticFoxFire: ^_^ Thanks so much!  
  
star-chan89: Thanks for your support! I'll check out the fic. I'm sorry the update took sooooo long!  
  
Chihiro-tears23: You're my 80th reviewer! Yay!! I apologize for it taking so long! ^_^;  
  
Well, that's all for now!!  
  
Ja, Saki  
  
5...  
  
4...  
  
3...  
  
2...  
  
1...  
  
REVIEW!!!!! 


	12. Sango the Secret Keeper

I know that this took so long...but updates are going to take a longer time now, ok? Sorry, but my workload is growing. Rapidly, too. And my parents might be putting a computer ban...I'm not sure, yet. Well – internet anyway. I might take that time to write lots of chapters – but I'm NOT banned, currently, so everything's ok. Let's see...I'm supposed to be getting a MiniDisc Player soon, but...I might get one until August! Grr...  
  
Inu-Yasha: You know, I'm getting your ranting, wench.  
  
Saki: Fine, fine! Here the chapter is. Enjoy!! Oh yeah, in this chapter, I use a part of a song called 'Here Without You' by Three Doors Down. I do not own it!!  
  
Disclaimer: Nope. I tried ordering him online, but...*sigh* No such luck.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Twelve: Sango the Secret-Keeper  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
"A hundred days have made me older  
  
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face,"  
  
This was the first thing Kagome heard that morning.  
  
"A thousand lies have made me colder  
  
And I don't I can look at this the same,"  
  
Kagome opened her eyelids slowly. 'Why is it on radio setting? Oh yeah...I got sick of all that beeping...'  
  
"But all the miles that separate  
  
They disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face,"  
  
Kagome yawned. It was time to get up for school already...she sighed. But before that, couldn't she just enjoy this song?  
  
"I'm here without you baby  
  
But you're still on my lonely mind  
  
I think about you baby  
  
And I dream about you all the time  
  
I'm here without you baby  
  
But you're still with me in my dreams  
  
And tonight  
  
It's only you and me,"  
  
Kagome finally struggled up. Turning off her alarm clock, she trudged to the bathroom. If you were standing right outside the door, you would have heard a dull thud, when Kagome dropped her hairbrush.  
  
You would have heard a second thud when she dropped the bottle of face cleanser.  
  
A third thud sounded when she accidentally knocked a bottle of hairspray over.  
  
And ten minutes later, Kagome came out.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Kagome was out the door, dressed in baggy jeans, a tight black shirt, and a white zip-up sweater over that, and a pop-tart in her mouth. (A/N: What? I do that a lot ^_^;)  
  
When she didn't meet everyone at the curb, she figured that they were already on their way.  
  
Even though it hurt slightly, knowing that they didn't wait for her.  
  
*  
  
The first thing Kagome saw when she stepped into the courtyard was a crowd.  
  
With a confused expression, she tapped the nearest person's shoulder.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
The person turned around. "Oh. It seems like Inu-Yasha is with another girl..."  
  
Kagome fumed inwardly. After nodding her thanks to the person, who she didn't have a clue who he was, she pushed to the center of the crowd.  
  
Inu-Yasha stood with a helpless expression, Kikyo dangling off his arm.  
  
Kagome took a deep breath.  
  
"INU-YASHA!!"  
  
He turned around. His expression became one of relief when he saw her. Kikyo's became one of annoyance.  
  
"What are YOU doing, Higurashi?"  
  
Kagome huffed. "That's what I'd like to ask you."  
  
"I'm spending some quality time with my man."  
  
"Kikyo, I'm not yours." Inu-Yasha spoke.  
  
Kikyo faked a look of hurt. "How could you say that, darling?"  
  
Inu-Yasha tried to shake her off his arm. "Cut it out with the pet names already."  
  
"But, honey, I thought that you loved me!"  
  
"Maybe I did at one point, but not anymore. And you dumped me as well."  
  
"That's not true! You know that I love you with my whole heart!"  
  
Kagome felt like throwing up.  
  
"Kikyo, he just said that he didn't love you anymore!" She decided to leave out the part where he said he did at one point.  
  
Kikyo snorted.  
  
Kagome smirked. "Now, that wasn't very lady-like, was that?"  
  
Kikyo's face reddened slightly. "HMPH! YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS THAT MY INU-CHAN LOVES ME AND NOT YOU! HE COULD NEVER LOVE A LOWLY WENCH LIKE YOU!!"  
  
The next thing Kikyo knew, she was on the ground.  
  
"SHUT UP KIKYO! I DON'T LOVE YOU! As a matter of fact, I do like Kagome. A lot in fact – a lot more than I'll ever like you!"  
  
Kagome stared wide-eyed. The crowd was silent.  
  
Kagome felt awkward. Inu-Yasha turned away from Kikyo abruptly, and grabbed Kagome the arm, pulling her with him.  
  
"Cummon." He said gruffly.  
  
They walked in silence up to the classroom. When they reached the door, Kagome stopped.  
  
"Inu-Yasha?" she asked in a small voice.  
  
He turned to face her. "Yeah?"  
  
Kagome blushed slightly. "D-did you...mean what you said back there?"  
  
"Yeah." He said quietly.  
  
Kagome smiled. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him. Inu-Yasha did the same. They stood like that for a moment, before breaking apart, blushing.  
  
"C-class is starting soon." Kagome squeaked.  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded. Upon entering the classroom, both raced for their desks, still embarrassed about what had happened.  
  
::Inu-Yasha's POV::  
  
What the hell?  
  
It's not like I haven't hugged a girl before!  
  
So why the hell am I blushing?  
  
...Kagome was being sincere.  
  
I was, too...for once...  
  
...I really don't get this...  
  
I mean, I've even kissed a girl before...but I guess I never really meant it.  
  
...So then, I actually meant it this time?  
  
Yeah.  
  
I'm falling for her.  
  
Hard.  
  
::Kagome's POV::  
  
I don't think I've ever blushed this much before!!  
  
I've hugged Kouga a million times before!  
  
But then again...we are just friends...  
  
Right?  
  
Duh...excluding the time period of a year where I had a crush on him...but...Inu- Yasha is different!  
  
This is...romantically...  
  
My face is burning.  
  
I'm falling for him.  
  
Hard.  
  
(A/N: ^_~)  
  
::Normal POV::  
  
Kagome and Inu-Yasha both sat, lost in their own thoughts, when Sango, Miroku, and Kouga stepped into class.  
  
"Kagome-chan." Sango tapped Kagome on the shoulder.  
  
Kagome didn't notice.  
  
"Kagome-chan."  
  
She was still lost in her thoughts. Sango sighed.  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
No reply. Sango's vein popped.  
  
"CAN YOU FRIKKEN ANSWER ME, KAGOME!?"  
  
Kagome was snapped out of her thoughts with a startle. "Ah!"  
  
She turned around, to see a rather peeved Sango.  
  
"Sango-chan! I'm so sorry!"  
  
Sango sighed and sat down.  
  
"What were you doing?"  
  
"T-thinking..."  
  
"What the hell were you thinking about so hard?"  
  
"S-stuff..."  
  
Sango threw her hands into the air, exasperated. "Can't you elaborate?"  
  
Kagome flushed crimson. "S-stuff...that *gulp* h-h-happened!"  
  
Sango raised an eyebrow, obviously still very confused.  
  
"Why are you SO nervous? Is it because of 'what happened'?"  
  
Kagome nodded.  
  
"So...what happened?" Sango grinned.  
  
Kagome shook her head quickly.  
  
Sango gave Kagome her 'innocent' face. "Please?"  
  
Kagome looked at the ground.  
  
"Just tell me!!" Sango exclaimed. Some other early arrivers looked their way.  
  
"Shh!!" Kagome hissed. "Fine! I'll tell you!"  
  
Sango smiled wickedly. "Spill."  
  
Kagome blushed and gulped. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.  
  
Sango banged her head on her table. "Oh my god, Kagome! Fine – if I can guess, will you tell me!?"  
  
Kagome nodded, still trying to find her voice.  
  
Sango took a guess. "Is it," she looked around the room. Her eyes fell on Inu-Yasha, who was also blushing. She smirked.  
  
"Something to do with Inu-Yasha?"  
  
Kagome blushed redder and nodded.  
  
Sango's eyes widened. "Really? Did you...kiss?"  
  
"Hugged."  
  
Sango's head came crashing into her table. Again. And again. And again.  
  
Kagome stared in alarm at her friend.  
  
Sango finally looked up, glaring at Kagome partly in exasperation, partly in frustration, and partly in anger.  
  
"You were so nervous because you simply hugged him!?"  
  
Kagome nodded.  
  
Sango heaved an exasperated sigh. But wait...  
  
"Wait...why is he blushing then?"  
  
Kagome shrugged.  
  
Sango was trying to figure it all out, when the bell rang.  
  
Students soon began filing into the room, and the amount of chatter rose.  
  
Now, only the teacher hadn't arrived.  
  
Students looked at each other in confusion. Since when was Mr. Yushiko ever late!?  
  
Just then, the door opened.  
  
Everyone shut up at once, since Mr. Yushiko didn't tolerate it...  
  
A pair of red high-heels stepped into the classroom.  
  
...  
  
Since when did Mr. Yushiko wear high-heels...?  
  
But when the person stepped into the room, it wasn't Mr. Yushiko at all.  
  
~*~*~((I COULD end it here...^_~ Nah))~*~*~  
  
A tall woman with dark hair, red eyes, and full lips stood in front of the class. She wore a beige suit. The woman smiled at the clueless class.  
  
"Good morning. Your former teacher, Mr. Yushiko *insert classes murmuring* has gone to teach at Tokyo University, and I am here to take his place. My name, is Kagura Kizu. Call me Kagura."  
  
Excited whispers.  
  
Kagome frowned. 'Alright...first off: she's fine person. Secondly: probably better than Mr. Yushiko. But...  
  
...she's a demon.'  
  
Kagome and Sango exchanged glances. Sango shrugged. Kagome looked at Kouga.  
  
He mouthed the words 'she's demon'. Kagome nodded.  
  
Kagome looked over her shoulder at Inu-Yasha. He was staring wide-eyed, opened mouthed at the new teacher.  
  
Kagura looked around the class. She saw Inu-Yasha. Nodding, she smiled warmly at him.  
  
Kagome scowled. Who was this woman? Did she know Inu-Yasha?  
  
Was...was she...one of his past...or possibly current...girlfriends...!?  
  
The idea simply made her furious. Steering her mind away from the possibility, she went back to paying attention to what Kagura was saying.  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome stomped into the cafeteria, Sango and Kouga with her.  
  
"What's wrong, Kag?" Kouga asked.  
  
"Nothing." Kagome retorted.  
  
Kouga held his hands up in a defense position. "If you say so..."  
  
Kouga slowed his pace until he was next to Sango. "What happened?"  
  
Sango shrugged. "She won't tell me either."  
  
Kouga watched Kagome fume over whatever she was fuming over.  
  
Sango didn't miss the longing look in his eyes.  
  
"Kouga?"  
  
"Yeah?" he said, his gaze never once leaving the angry raven-haired girl.  
  
Sango chuckled quietly. "Jealous of Inu-Yasha?"  
  
Kouga snapped his head to Sango.  
  
"What," he asked sharply. "Are you talking about?"  
  
Sango smiled slyly. "I'm not blind you know. You tend to pick up things when you're around people for half their lives."  
  
"What are you implying?"  
  
"You're in love with Kagome-chan."  
  
~*~*~((I was going to end it here, but then you'd all hate me))~*~*~  
  
Kouga nearly tripped over his own feet. "How did you -!"  
  
Sango rolled her eyes. "If you're trying to hide it, you're doing a REALLY bad job. You're just lucky that Kagome-chan is so clueless...and," she cleared her throat, knowing the next part would irritate him. "And...occupied."  
  
Sango wasn't disappointed.  
  
"That mutt-face can go to hell." Kouga spat.  
  
"And Kagome would follow him..." Sango mumbled under her breath, not expecting Kouga to hear.  
  
Well, he did.  
  
Of course, his reaction wasn't what she was expecting.  
  
"And...if Kagome did follow him...I'd follow her." Kouga said quietly.  
  
Sango sighed. "You're so hopelessly in love, Kouga."  
  
"You think I haven't realized that? And can we please go sit down now? And can you not tell anyone about this conversation?"  
  
Sango chuckled nervously. "Heh...whoops. Don't worry, I won't tell."  
  
"Anyways," Sango continued, now that they were seated. Kagome was no where to be found.  
  
"Anyways...?" Kouga repeated.  
  
"As I was saying. You've liked Kagome for quite a long time, right?"  
  
Kouga nodded. "Since the first day I met her."  
  
"Yup...hopelessly romantic too... 'love at first sight'...mm hmm."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's not proving to be very useful."  
  
"You idiot. That's because you're not putting it TO use!"  
  
"...Oh yeah."  
  
"You haven't told her, have you?"  
  
"Nope. I've tried...but...well, you guys sorta...interrupted." Kouga explained, recalling that day.  
  
-Flashback-  
  
Kouga pulled out the rose he bought on his way.  
  
"Umm...I got this for you." He said, handing it to her, while a light blush tinged his cheeks.  
  
Kagome gasped. Accepting the gift, she touched the delicate petals.  
  
"Wow. Thanks."  
  
She was about to get up and put it on the bedside table, but Kouga grabbed onto her wrist.  
  
"Kouga?"  
  
He stared into her stormy blue eyes.  
  
"Kagome. I...I wanted to tell you that...I really l- "  
  
"Kagome-chan!!"  
  
Sango ran towards Kagome and clobbered her with a hug.  
  
-End Flashback-  
  
Sango sweatdropped. "Sorry, I didn't know I was interrupting something... *cough* ."  
  
Kouga sighed. "It's ok. I figured it wasn't the right time. I don't want to tell her too soon, or I might...well, freak her out."  
  
Sango nodded. "But you can't tell her too late either, or you'll lose her."  
  
"Yeah...I suppose. I can't tell too late or I'll...or I'll..."  
  
For some reason, he just couldn't get those last two words out. The pain of those two words made it impossible.  
  
He couldn't let that happen.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay. That was the real ending.  
  
OF THE CHAPTER!!  
  
I wouldn't leave a fanfiction hanging in the middle of nowhere. Alright...so I'm guessing you're all like: WHAT THE @$^! TOOK YOU SO LONG TO UPDATE!? Well, truth is...nowhere. BUT – before you get pissed off, keep in mind that I DO have a life as well. I've got other stuff to do too, other than writing fanfics. Even though I wouldn't mind it, sadly, I can't. And you know how sometimes you have a REALLY good idea, but when you write it down, it's just...not the same? Like, it's just not like the idea that was in your head. Or the image. Whatever. Well, I have that problem. So, it took me a while to figure out how I'd get this down.  
  
And since I feel that at least one of you are going to ask about it...*ahem*. No, Kouga does not end up with Kagura, for Kagura/Kouga fans. And no, Kagura and Inu-Yasha never had a 'relationship'. Who Kagura IS with, though, is for me to know, and you to find out. ^_~  
  
Sango/Miroku fluff is soon!! Probably in the next chapter or chapter fourteen. Oh yeah. From now on, to see WHY I haven't been updating, go check out my web page. (I dare not call it a 'web site', for it is SOO crappy, it's not worth to be called a web 'site'. I'm not at advanced at HTML, CSS and stuff.) The link is on my profile.  
  
And I changed the storyline again...  
  
One more thing...please check out my fic Running Away from Reality. It's supposed to be a one-shot, but I might turn it into a chaptered story. Depends on how many (positive) reviews I get. ^_^;  
  
Diable: ^_^; Good, now I'm sure that you read not my stories not just for the disclaimers.  
  
ArcticFoxFire: Hehe...well, we'll see. I did mention last chapter that if you really wanted to know, you could email me. I will drop a few hints here and there though...^_~  
  
Airen2: Yay! Someone who DOESN'T want to know the pairing right now! =D Suspense is cool!  
  
c-dog: We'll see, we'll see. ^_~ Oh yeah, can you update The Leader of the Pack? Please?? That fic is really good!!  
  
Rushyuo: Ahh...but it was. Yes, I do have a Pocky obsession. ^_~ But it's fun having one. Are you glad you learned how to do the 'eye thing'?? Lol.  
  
DemonFireGirlHotaru: If you want the pairing, then email me. I didn't put it on the AN because I figured that a few people might like suspense...so, yeah. Thnx for reviewing!  
  
Smurf2005: I thought that if I changed their species, I might confuse myself. ^_^;; That happens a lot with me. For instance, if I made Inu-Yasha human, but I forgot, I might say that Kagome 'looked into his amber eyes' or something...but human Inu-Yasha has brown/purplish eyes! Well...bluish/brown/black. Ah, I dunno. Something like that.  
  
Puppy Dog Gurl: Yay! I'm glad. XD  
  
Sihara: Aww...Inu-Yasha may not be the BEST of characters, but that was a little mean. Eck. Oh well...but Inu-Yasha doesn't stay 'bad' too long. Eeehh...I've said too much!  
  
Ja, Saki  
  
Review!! ^_~ 


	13. Envy, Love, and Dinner

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. But I have full claim over the plot!! BuhaHahHaAHHA! ...Yup, I'm crazy...  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Thirteen: Envy, Love, and Dinner  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
~Lunchtime...  
  
.  
  
Inu-Yasha was having a bad day.  
  
Wait. Hold on. Rephrase.  
  
Inu-Yasha was having a horrible day.  
  
Why? Well, let's start counting off.  
  
Firstly, Kagome was completely ignoring him. Completely! She didn't even acknowledge him – she acted as if he didn't even exist. And since Sango and Kouga were Kagome's close friends, they had started ignoring him too. Plus, he got into trouble for falling asleep in class. After some guy laughed at him, he had beaten the poor guy into a pulp, thus getting into further trouble...not to mention that at home, Sesshoumaru was going to mock him about it, no doubt...speaking of back at home, it was his turn to make dinner, and he couldn't cook! And Miroku was always going around, groping Sango whenever he had the chance to, so he was always running into Kagome, who was still ignoring him...and he was right where he started.  
  
Grr...  
  
Someone poked his shoulder.  
  
Inu-Yasha finally snapped.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!? ARE YOU TIRED OF BOTHERING ME YET? WHAT IS YOUR F-EN PROBLEM, DO YOU ENJOY PUTTING ME THROUGH ALL THIS GODDAMNED TORTURE!?" He screamed into whoever-poked-him's face.  
  
His face paled when he saw who it was.  
  
"L-look, I'm really sorry, Kagome – I'm just really s-stressed o-out and, and..."  
  
Kagome glared at him with a scowl. "Since it's obvious that you don't want me here, I'll be leaving now."  
  
"NO! I mean..." Inu-Yasha exclaimed. Before finishing his sentence, he turned around and yelled under his breath, banging his head on what he expected to be a wall...but which happened to be a steel pole.  
  
*BAM*  
  
"Ow! Shit!"  
  
All the pain disappeared when he heard Kagome's laughter.  
  
'Gods, I'd do that again just to hear her laugh...'  
  
Kagome clutched her stomach, running out of breath. "That – was – stupid!" Kagome managed to choke out, laughing all the while.  
  
'Since she seems so happy right now, I should ask her why she's been ignoring me all day...'  
  
Inu-Yasha cleared his throat. "Kag? Why have you been ignoring me all day?"  
  
Kagome stopped in mid-laugh, and accidentally choked. After her coughing fit, she regained composure. "Have you been dating anyone lately?"  
  
Inu-Yasha looked confused. "Yeah. You."  
  
Kagome sweatdropped. "Let me rephrase. Have you been dating anyone else other than me lately?"  
  
Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow. "No..."  
  
Kagome eyed him skeptically. "You sure? Well...ok, let me take this directly: do you know Kagura?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
'Yeah,' Kagome repeated in her head, her heart sinking to somewhere around her stomach.  
  
"Oh..." Kagome said sadly, and started walking away, leaving a very, very confused inu-hanyou behind.  
  
Inu-Yasha finally put two and two together, and slapped his forehead.  
  
"Kagome! Wait up!" He ran up to her, and grabbed her wrist. She stopped, but kept her head down.  
  
"I DO know Kagura, but we've never been any relationship, ok!? I swear, we don't like each other that way! Trust me on this!"  
  
Surprised, Kagome looked up into his eyes, finding only sincerity. Even though those words wouldn't normally be enough, Kagome couldn't help but believe him.  
  
Kagome smiled and hugged Inu-Yasha tightly, shocking him.  
  
"I trust you." She whispered.  
  
Inu-Yasha smiled – a true smile – and hugged her back.  
  
~*~  
  
Sango closed her locker door with a sigh. A few feet away, Miroku was chatting with Kouga about motorcycles and what colour they looked best in.  
  
"Purple. You can't beat purple." Miroku was saying.  
  
"Are you kidding? Black! Normally, I'm all for light blue, but a motorcycle wouldn't look good in light blue..."  
  
Miroku nodded. "True. Jeez, I wish I had a purple motorcycle. Say, Kouga, what would you like a black motorcycle?"  
  
"I do have one."  
  
"WHAT? You're kidding!"  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
Sango cut in. "Miroku, he's not. His parents are really rich – thus making HIM really rich. Kouga doesn't show it, but he is."  
  
Miroku stared wide-eyed. "So...rich as in...millionaire-type rich!?"  
  
Looking bored, Kouga nodded. Sango sighed enviously.  
  
"No, Miroku. As in MULTI-millionaire rich."  
  
Miroku looked as if he was about to faint. Just then, Sango remembered something.  
  
"Oh shoot! I forgot my history textbook in class! I'll be right back!"  
  
And sped off.  
  
*  
  
After retrieving her textbook, Sango decided to take the other route to the cafeteria. Turning around a corner, she heard voices.  
  
"...sure? Well...ok, let me take this directly: do you know Kagura?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
Sango identified the voices as Kagome and Inu-Yasha.  
  
She heard footsteps, which probably meant one of them was walking away. Next came a light slapping sound.  
  
"Kagome! Wait up!"  
  
'Aha! So it IS Kagome and Inu-Yasha!'  
  
"I DO know Kagura, but we've never been any relationship, ok!? I swear, we don't like each other that way! Trust me on this!"  
  
A soft thump was heard.  
  
"I trust you." Kagome's voice whispered.  
  
Sango peeked around the corner. Her eyes widened when she saw Kagome and Inu-Yasha locked in a tight, loving embrace.  
  
A feeling twisted in her gut.  
  
Sango blinked. 'Why do I feel envious...?'  
  
~Miroku groping her~  
  
~Miroku laughing~  
  
~Miroku was smiling~  
  
Sango hid herself again. 'Am I...am I envious of Kagome, because I want to be with Miroku...? Just like Kagome-chan is with Inu-Yasha...?'  
  
Sango smiled weakly. It was the only possibility. There was no other answer.  
  
'I'm in love with Miroku.'  
  
~*~  
  
"See yah later, Inu-chan!" Kagome smiled, and pecked Inu-Yasha on the cheek.  
  
He blushed. "Y-yeah..."  
  
Kouga looked away.  
  
"Bye, Sango, Miroku!" Kagome waved and ran up the shrine steps, where her friends would continue on their own ways home.  
  
On the entire walk home, Inu-Yasha was lost in paradise.  
  
*  
  
~Inu-Yasha's house...  
  
.  
  
Inu-Yasha flopped down on a chair in the kitchen. Sesshoumaru walked into the kitchen.  
  
"I'm going out to dinner with my girlfriend tonight. You'll have to cook yourself dinner...oh wait, it's your turn to cook dinner anyway."  
  
"Say, Sessh," Inu-Yasha spoke, ignoring his brother's growls at the nickname. "Did you know that your girlfriend is a teacher at my school now?"  
  
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes. "Of course I know. I knew long before you did. Kagura is a very intelligent woman; it's not such a big deal for her to get the position."  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded a 'whatever'.  
  
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes again before leaving. Inu-Yasha sat in a stupor for a while, before getting up to find something to eat.  
  
"Since I can't cook...ramen tonight!" He said to himself. Not that he was complaining. Ramen was his favourite food!  
  
He opened the cupboard door.  
  
"AAAHHH!!"  
  
Could be heard throughout the whole house. Inu-Yasha stood, gaping at the empty cupboard.  
  
He fell to the floor, cross-legged. "I'm gonna starve to death..."  
  
Just then, the phone rang. Inu-Yasha sighed and picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Inu-chan."  
  
"Oh, hey Kag."  
  
"You sound depressed."  
  
"I am. There's no ramen left and I can't cook...so I'm stuck hungry, unless I go out to eat, but I'm also broke right now..."  
  
Kagome went into a fit of hysterical laughter. A vein popped on Inu-Yasha's forehead.  
  
"It's not funny!!" 'Not that I don't enjoy hearing you laugh...'  
  
Kagome laughed even harder. After collecting herself again, she sighed.  
  
"I would let you come over, but my mom has guests over tonight, so...yeah."  
  
Inu-Yasha perked up. Kagome had never gotten to come to his house, being in that car accident.  
  
"Well, you can come over to my place..." Inu-Yasha suggested.  
  
"What, just to cook for you?" Kagome sounded amused.  
  
Inu-Yasha smirked. "Maybe...I promise to owe it back to you."  
  
"How? You're going to cook me dinner?"  
  
Inu-Yasha snorted. "Eating food I cook is basically committing suicide. Sesshoumaru took one bite out of something I cooked and threw up."  
  
Kagome started laughing again. To Inu-Yasha, the sound was wonderful.  
  
"Sure, I've got nothing to do anyway. And Kouga's learning some business stuff from his dad, so..." she sighed.  
  
Inu-Yasha growled at the mention of his rival's name.  
  
"Anyway, when do you want me to come over?"  
  
Inu-Yasha's thoughts cleared. He cleared his throat, and tried to ignore the rumbles from his stomach.  
  
"Now, please."  
  
Kagome chuckled. "Alright. I'll be right over. See yah."  
  
"Buh bye."  
  
Inu-Yasha hung up the phone with a click. Sighing in satisfaction, he started to attempt at cleaning up the kitchen.  
  
While doing so, he knocked over the oil jug, shattered a glass saltshaker, and dropped a few eggs on the floor.  
  
Inu-Yasha sighed in defeat and left the kitchen to find something else to busy himself with while waiting for Kagome and for dinner...  
  
*  
  
Kagome read the strip of paper with Inu-Yasha's address on it. Of course, it was from before she had gotten into that blasted car accident.  
  
"Yup, it's the right one." Kagome walked up the street. When she came upon 45 Sakura Lane, her jaw dropped.  
  
The house was huge. No, it wasn't as big as a mansion, but for a house – it was ENORMOUS. Four stories high, wide, with circular beams on the front porch. The front gate was painted ebony black, the front yard displayed sakura trees, a fountain, and a sundial.  
  
It looked as if it were a picture taken from a book.  
  
Kagome had no idea of the contrast that there was, inside the house.  
  
She rang the doorbell once, and heard a scrambling sound, as if someone were rushing to get to the door.  
  
Which they actually WERE...  
  
The door opened. Inu-Yasha stood, with a huge grin plastered on his face.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hi Kagome! Come in!"  
  
Kagome smiled and stepped inside. She gazed at the living room – a wreck.  
  
Blinking, she took her shoes and walked around the place. She cleared her throat.  
  
"Umm...I guess that you and Sesshoumaru don't really...have time for chores?"  
  
Inu-Yasha laughed nervously, but then frowned. "You know Sesshoumaru? But I've never spoken about him..."  
  
"My dad knew him." Kagome said simply, and somewhat rudely. Inu-Yasha nodded, not knowing to drop it there.  
  
"I've never heard you talk about your dad. What does he do?"  
  
Kagome looked stoic for a moment. "My dad died a long time ago."  
  
Inu-Yasha winced. "Ah...sorry. But don't worry, me and Sesshoumaru lost our parents. His mom died while giving birth to him."  
  
Kagome nodded. "Sesshoumaru is your half-brother, right?"  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded as well, and led her into the kitchen, where she nearly tripped on the fallen oil jug.  
  
"Err..." Inu-Yasha said, unsure of what to do. Kagome looked around in exasperation.  
  
"What happened in here!?"  
  
"It's usually like this..." Inu-Yasha trailed off. Kagome frowned.  
  
"I thought Sesshoumaru was more of a neat-freak."  
  
Inu-Yasha smirked. "When living with me, you pick up my habits."  
  
"Ah," Kagome commented, "I get it now. You brainwashed him and taught him your ways."  
  
Inu-Yasha sweatdropped. Kagome put her purse down on the counter and started setting upturned bottles, jugs, and containers up properly. Grabbing two rags, she tossed one to Inu-Yasha, who caught it with surprise.  
  
"It's your mess, you the least you can do is help me clean it up." Kagome said slyly.  
  
Inu-Yasha groaned. "Fine, fine," was his reply.  
  
Kagome smirked and began wiping off the counter with the damp rag.  
  
Inu-Yasha started with the kitchen table, trying to put his hunger aside for now.  
  
~*~  
  
Inu-Yasha plopped down on a chair and surveyed the room. He and...mostly Kagome, had transformed the kitchen so that it sparkled, and looked brand new.  
  
"Whoa...." Inu-Yasha muttered under his breath. He looked over at Kagome, who was already frying something, which he had no idea what it was.  
  
Inu-Yasha watched Kagome bustle about, pulling out pots and pans, and ingredients. What could she be making?  
  
Ramen?  
  
Definitely not. You added water to ramen, let the noodles soften, and added the flavouring.  
  
Rice cakes?  
  
No...  
  
"Hey, Inu-Yasha, do you like western food?"  
  
Inu-Yasha broke away from his thoughts.  
  
"Western food? As in like, steak, fries, burgers, that stuff? Yeah!"  
  
Kagome smiled. "Good."  
  
Inu-Yasha grinned happily and simply watched his Kagome cook.  
  
... 'His' Kagome...?  
  
Where'd that come from?  
  
...Oh well.  
  
*  
  
Inu-Yasha stared wide-eyed at the table, laden with dishes of food.  
  
Salad, chicken, steak, assorted veggies, sandwiches, fries, and that was only naming a few.  
  
Kagome sat down with a platter of sushi. Inu-Yasha blinked in confusion.  
  
"Sushi is Japanese food."  
  
Kagome shrugged. "I know. I prefer Japanese food over western food. Well, itadakimasu*!"  
  
Inu-Yasha mumbled the same thing and dug in.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I said I'd update as soon as I could, so, I kept my promise! Well...I said I'd update now, anyway. ...Nevermind, I'm confusing myself...and probably all you people too. _  
  
Go check out my fic, Past and Present. It's really short, but I think it's pretty good, seeing as how I typed that thing in ten minutes.  
  
I'm starting to use a bit of Japanese words/phrases in the fic. I only used one in this chapter.  
  
*itadakimasu: what people say before a meal. I'm not sure about the exact translation. Can anyone tell me? ^_^;  
  
I can't seem to find any inspiration for the next chapter. I might be putting this on hold for a week or so, until after I move. Does anyone know any good AU fics? I'm desperate for some kind of spark to go off. I have no ideas as of how I'll write the next chapter. I nearly left this chapter for good.  
  
But I didn't!  
  
And...100 REVIEWS! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Ryuki – you're the 100th, I'm pretty sure. And this is my FIRST fanfic! Thank you so much. I love you all! (As friends, thank you) *Tears of joy* Thanks to (I'm just going down the list, so if you reviewed with a different names, whoops! ^.^;;):  
  
SilverWolf-Ryuki  
  
Rushyuo (who won't stop pestering me for updates...^^;)  
  
lid (My first reviewer!)  
  
inuyashafan713  
  
Smurf2005  
  
sesshoumarus-1-fan  
  
Ashley  
  
Cat  
  
Emily  
  
Zero2-the-scyther  
  
Kellie  
  
Kagome503  
  
Sihara  
  
Inuyashachick210  
  
c-dog (Have you updated Leaders of the Pack yet? Please! I abosultely love that fic! And you ended the last chapter at a cliffie!!)  
  
Deamon Drama Queen  
  
Rebecca  
  
Inufan  
  
amy  
  
Diable  
  
Whatever  
  
misz DEE lishuz  
  
Nanako_wang  
  
DemonFireGirlHotaru  
  
Silent-sparkling Angel  
  
pikman_234  
  
japan_anime_21  
  
ArcticFoxFire  
  
inukagforever  
  
timelesslovelykagome  
  
Rin Mitsuishi  
  
weird0  
  
Airen2  
  
wolf-chan  
  
animefun725  
  
star-chan89  
  
Chihiro-tears  
  
Puppy Dog Gurl  
  
cutiekat  
  
And whether or not all you get to see this, I don't know. But thanks anyway!! You guys rock! Thanks so much!! I doubt this fic would still be ongoing if I didn't get any reviews! _ But let's not 'if'! Thanks! I can't stop saying thanks! ^_^;  
  
I just watched episode 132 of Inu-Yasha, and it is so kawaii! Fluffy, too! SangoxMiroku fluff! Which is also in the next chapter...or, it's supposed to be.  
  
Diable: Well, I guess you a point. ^_^; Saki no baka.  
  
cutiekat: Mm, technically, it's not decided yet...but it is...but I want to keep you all in suspense...but if you are absolutely DYING of suspense (which I doubt anyone actually is, ^^;), you can email me.  
  
Rushyuo: Yes, 'update', I hear you. -_- And you're saying I'm pokey when you're going 'poke' at me!? T_T Aw, Lol.  
  
Smurf2005: Well, there should be Kikyo bashing next chapter! Woot! Kikyo bashing! *Whips out blunt dagger* It hurts more when it's blunt *nod, nod* Muhaha! *starts stabbing Kikyo* *Kikyo: AAAH! I'M GETTING BLOOD OVER MY DESIGNER CLOTHES! AAH - *dies*  
  
BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! ...^_^; Oh well, we all hate Kikyo...*evil smirk*  
  
Airen2: Yay, someone who isn't breathing down my neck about updates. ^.^ Thank you keeping an open mind. Here is the update, hope you enjoyed it.  
  
c-dog: Of course I love 'Leaders of the Pack'! It's an awesome story!! XD Please, please, please update!! Nope, Kagura didn't date Inu! ¬_¬ Of course, no one would be surprised if he did...*ahem* *cough, cough* *chokes on the cough* *starts spluttering*  
  
Sihara: Suspense, suspense...^_~ I'll leave that to your imagination for now.  
  
SilverWolf-Ryuki: Yes, I did realize that it's basically yo, yo and not yo- yo. -_- I was joking, ok? Kagura! She's wicked in volume 15! XD Now I want volume 16...Kagura again!  
  
Zero2-the-scyther: Updates! Yay! ^^  
  
Thanks, again!  
  
Ja, Saki  
  
You know you want to review.  
  
...well, I want you to! ^_^;  
  
Please? 


	14. Only for You, My Heart is True

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well...apart from the plot, three manga volumes, four posters, and...yeah, that's all. -_-  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Fourteen: Only for You, My Heart is True  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
"Kagome-chan," Sango asked. "Did something happen between you and Inu- Yasha...? I don't remember you being THIS close in PUBLIC."  
  
Kagome turned around from her spot where she had been hugging Inu-Yasha. She blushed.  
  
"*Cough* Well..." the blushing girl started. Inu-Yasha smirked and held her closer.  
  
"We're an official couple now."  
  
Sango smiled. "That's nice."  
  
::Sango's POV::  
  
I smiled. "That's nice."  
  
...I wonder how Kouga's going to cope with this...  
  
I turn my gaze towards the wolf demon. His hands were balled into fists, his jaw clenched.  
  
...Pretty good...I'm surprised he didn't make any...angry outburst.  
  
I wonder how long it'll take before he does...?  
  
I turned my attention back to my best friend and her new boyfriend, namely, Inu-Yasha.  
  
We were sitting under a sakura tree in the yard. Of course, it was in the middle of fall, so there were no blossoms. Which I'm actually sort of glad, or else the scene would be too sappy.  
  
I can see it now...  
  
Kagome and Inu-Yasha in each other's embrace, with pink sakura petals blowing about. The grass is lush and green, the sky is blue, and the two lovers are content.  
  
Ugh...  
  
Don't get me wrong. I'm happy for Kagome – I really am. She was never able to find love, because she knew it would bring her pain. Also because she was ignorant of it.  
  
Whenever I think about it, the song 'Miss Independent' comes to mind.  
  
Anyway...  
  
Now that she has, problems arise.  
  
Like, Kouga's love. Kagome DOESN'T KNOW. She is so – very – blind, not to see that he's just...head over heels in love with her!  
  
Another problem would be...how envious I am.  
  
But that's only a problem for me. I love Miroku, but...how does he feel about me? He's always flirting with other girls, he always gropes me...  
  
...and other girls....  
  
So, am I just any other girl he comes across?  
  
And then, thirdly, is Kikyo.  
  
Inu-Yasha DID love Kikyo at one point.  
  
I think.  
  
Well...for someone like me, it seemed more like lust. But whatever.  
  
...  
  
Ew! Someone love/lusting for Kikyo!?  
  
I gotta go hurl...  
  
::Normal POV::  
  
"Sango-chan, are you ok!?" Kagome asked, noticing how her friend's face was slightly pale.  
  
"Y-yeah..." Sango managed to get out.  
  
Miroku handed her a bottle of water. "Here."  
  
Sango blushed. "Th-thanks," she muttered, hoping no one caught her blush.  
  
Kagome, of course, just had to.  
  
Smirking, she nudged Inu-Yasha in the ribs.  
  
"Huh?" Was his oh so intelligent reply.  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and pointed to Sango, who was glancing at Miroku every few seconds, blush still present.  
  
Inu-Yasha smirked. They exchanged glances.  
  
Kagome nodded.  
  
Time to play matchmaker!  
  
::Kouga's POV::  
  
I couldn't believe it.  
  
I was too late.  
  
...Or was I?  
  
If my knowledge was correct, Inu-Yasha was a player.  
  
That meant that SOME sort of conflict would eventually grow between the two.  
  
I would have to seize my chance then.  
  
For now, I was forced to watch love bloom between two couples.  
  
Kagome kissed Inu-Yasha on the cheek.  
  
Well...love grow stronger for one couple, and love bloom for the other.  
  
Seriously, what did the heavens have against me?  
  
I watched as Kagome and Inu-Yasha cuddled, while Sango would sneak glances and Miroku, and look away. When she was looking away, Miroku would sneak glances at her.  
  
How long is it gonna take before I finally crack?  
  
::Normal POV::  
  
Of course, good things never last.  
  
Just then, Kikyo came strutting over, clad in an extra-small, hot pink tubetop, and (once again) extra-small, black leather miniskirt.  
  
"Oh, Inu-Yashaaa!"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "You'd think she'd learn after the first time?" she muttered to Sango.  
  
"Then again, this IS Kikyo we're talking about." Sango replied dryly.  
  
Inu-Yasha ignored the girl calling his name and running a hand down her side.  
  
Instead, he hugged Kagome tighter to him.  
  
Kikyo gasped. "Ah! Inu, baby, why are you always paying attention to – her!? Is it because she got hit by a car? Well..." Kikyo struggled for something to say.  
  
"If you'll pay more attention to me then...well...WELL I'LL GO GET HIT BY A CAR TOO!"  
  
Silence.  
  
Kagome and Sango burst out into hysterical laughing. Kouga was trying to muffle his laughter. Inu-Yasha was snickering, along with Miroku. Sango was laughing so hard, that she had fallen over and was pounding the ground with her fist.  
  
Kikyo humphed. "If I get hit by a car, then Inu-Yasha will pay more attention to me!" She ran off towards the road.  
  
Kagome stared, gaping and laughing. "She's actually gonna do it!?"  
  
"I'm not going to pay attention to you, you know that?" Inu-Yasha shouted towards Kikyo, who didn't hear him.  
  
The little group of friends watched in sheer humour as Kikyo ran onto the streets, in front of a man on a bike.  
  
"OI! WATCH IT, GIRLY!" The man yelled, spraying her face with spit. He rode off.  
  
Kikyo came stomping back. "Grr..."  
  
By that time, the entire group was shaking with laughter and tears of mirth running down their cheeks.  
  
"Yeah, Kikyo. Go get hit by a car." Was all Sango managed to get out before breaking down with laughter.  
  
~*~  
  
"That was so funny," Kagome commented again on their way home from school. Sango nodded in agreement before bursting out into fits of laughter.  
  
Kagome soon joined in.  
  
The three boys sweatdropped simultaneously. (XD That's a big word!)  
  
"On the bright side," Miroku stated, "Each time you laugh, you increase the length of your life for 35 minutes."  
  
"Really? So if someone wanted to live really long, they just keep laughing?" Inu-Yasha asked.  
  
Kouga had a mental image of Kagome laughing while eating sushi, doing her homework, and in class.  
  
Miroku sweatdropped. "No. It has to be a real laugh. Like what Kagome and Sango are doing..."  
  
Kagome and Sango looked at him with their eyebrows raised.  
  
"...were doing..."  
  
"Morons," Kouga muttered. Inu-Yasha's fuzzy white ear twitched.  
  
"What did you just call us, yaseokami*!?"  
  
"I called you a moron, inukurro*!"  
  
"YOU -!"  
  
"Oh shut your traps already." Sango snarled.  
  
"Why should we listen to you!?" Inu-Yasha yelled.  
  
"Because I said so."  
  
"But why?" Kouga asked.  
  
"BECAUSE YOU SHOULD, THAT'S FREAKING WHY!!!"  
  
Inu-Yasha and Kouga cowered, whimpering.  
  
Kagome laughed nervously in the background. "Sango, I think that's enough..." she said, prying her friend off the poor boys' throats.  
  
Eventually, Sango was hauled off her victims, with the help of Miroku, who just had to steal a grope and get slapped.  
  
The five walked in silence for a while.  
  
"Umm...why don't you all come over to my place? School's out for the week anyway."  
  
Kagome beamed. "Yay!" She exclaimed, latching herself onto Inu-Yasha.  
  
Sango glanced at Kouga, who was eyeing the pair enviously. She cleared her throat.  
  
"Sure, why not. And I'm sure Miroku will be going. What about you Kouga?"  
  
Inu-Yasha snorted. "Who said anything about him coming?"  
  
"Inu-Yasha!" Kagome scolded.  
  
"Well, Inu, you DID say ALL of us." Miroku pointed out.  
  
The inu hanyou rolled his eyes. "Fine."  
  
Kagome flashed a friendly smile at Kouga. He felt his heart skip a beat.  
  
Sango watched the two carefully.  
  
Carefully, until once again, that familiar hand wound up on her rear.  
  
A vein popped on her forehead. "Miroku...GET YOUR HAND OFF MY ASS, NOW!!"  
  
Slowly, it drew away. "Heh..." Miroku chuckled, nervously.  
  
Kagome watched the exchange over her shoulder. She jabbed Inu-Yasha in the ribs.  
  
"Ow! What?" He asked, irritated that she had just poked him in the ribs, again.  
  
Kagome pointed at Sango and Miroku. Inu-Yasha nodded, and smirked. The raven-haired girl giggled. "Looks like we've got some planning to do when we get to your house. Should we let Kouga in on it too?"  
  
Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. "Whatever."  
  
Kagome smiled slightly. "Alright then."  
  
~*~  
  
"Inu-Yasha, who said that you could bring guests over?"  
  
Sesshoumaru eyed the three humans and wolf demon.  
  
His younger, half-brother humphed. "Well, I did, and that's all that matters."  
  
Just then, another voice spoke up from the doorway of the living room.  
  
"Well, looks like Inu-Yasha decided to bring some visitors over."  
  
The guests looked over, to see none other than Kagura leaning on the doorframe.  
  
Kagome stared. "Kagura!? What...what are you doing here?"  
  
Kagura grinned and walked over to Sesshoumaru, who wrapped an arm around her waist. (In this fic, Sessh has both arms, okay? ^^)  
  
"Kagura is my girlfriend, and fiancée."  
  
"Really!? Wow! I never knew Sesshoumaru had a fiancée! This is so cool! When's the wedding? Who's invited?" Kagome squealed happily.  
  
"Are we invited? Do you have any kids?" Miroku asked. Sango gasped.  
  
"Miroku! That's rude!!" She whacked him over the head.  
  
But Kagura just laughed. "Actually..."  
  
Sesshoumaru cut in. "Actually, Kagura already adopted a girl a year back."  
  
Kagome squealed again. "That's so sweet! Is she here now?"  
  
You could see Inu-Yasha and Kouga roll their eyes in the back.  
  
Kagura nodded, a grin on her face. "Come here, Rin."  
  
A small girl, who appeared about seven or eight, came skipping down the stairs. She wore a beige and orange checkered sundress, with a few patterns here and there. Her black hair had a ponytail on the side of her head, tied up with an orange hair tie. The girl, Rin, also had large, brown eyes and a big grin on her face.  
  
Rin went trotting towards Kagura, who hugged her adopted daughter. "Okaa- san*!" Rin exclaimed, hugging Kagura back.  
  
"Oh, she's so cute!" Kagome exclaimed. Rin turned towards the stranger.  
  
"I'm Rin! Who are you?" The little girl asked. Kagome bent down slightly so that she was at eye level with Rin.  
  
"I'm Kagome. How old are you?"  
  
Rin counted on her fingers for a moment. "Rin is eight years old!" She announced happily.  
  
Kagome laughed. "You're quite adorable, you know that? Did your okaa-san dress you up today?"  
  
Rin nodded. "Okaa-san likes to buy lots of clothes for Rin, and likes to dress Rin up. Okaa-san says Rin looks cute in anything!"  
  
Kagome and the others looked at Kagura. The adoptive mother blushed and looked away, whistling.  
  
"Well, your okaa-san is right. You do look very cute."  
  
Rin beamed. "Rin likes Kagome!"  
  
"Alright, alright. That's wonderful. Now, lets go already." Inu-Yasha huffed.  
  
Sesshoumaru glared at him. Kagura smirked and tisked.  
  
"Manner Inu-Yasha, manners."  
  
The said hanyou blushed and feh-ed before leading his friends upstairs to his room.  
  
*  
  
"You have such a big room."  
  
The five were seated either on the bed, beanbag chairs, or the floor. Kagome and Inu-Yasha sat on the black and red mass (according to chapter eight, the bed is black and red), Kouga was seated on a black beanbag chair, while Sango sat in a red one, Miroku on the floor beside her.  
  
Inu-Yasha smirked. "Yeah well, father was a pretty successful business man before he died. Now, Sesshoumaru picked up where he left off, and Sesshoumaru is as good as father."  
  
Kouga raised an eyebrow. "Your dad was a business man?"  
  
"Yeah, what about it?"  
  
"Oh. Kouga-kun's parents are involved with business too. They go on lots of business trips and stuff. I don't get it at all. His parents are really, really rich." Kagome explained.  
  
Sango sighed. "Multi millionaire rich." She said, getting a rush of déja vu.  
  
Inu-Yasha snorted. "Only?"  
  
Kagome stared, wide eyed. "Only!? Multi millionaire rich – ONLY!?"  
  
"Feh. Father cashed in by the billions."  
  
Miroku sighed enviously. "I remember the time that Inu-Yasha went off with his parents on a trip around the world."  
  
"That was a long time ago. I was 10 years old that time. They're dead now."  
  
Sango glanced at Miroku. "You and Inu-Yasha have been friends for that long already?"  
  
"Ah, yes. My dad was a friend of his when they were both newbies in the business. Dad worked along with him for a few years, before he was killed in a storm."  
  
Sango gasped. "Oh my god...I'm so sorry. I never knew you're father was dead."  
  
Miroku shook his head. "It's ok. There's no reason for you to be sorry. It's not your fault. And I still have my mother."  
  
Sango's eyes began watering. "I know what it feels like to lose a parent. My mother died in a car accident when I was four."  
  
Everyone was silent in the room.  
  
Sango thought of her mother, who had died because of a drunk driver. When Kagome was hit by a car, she could have sworn her heart nearly stopped.  
  
Miroku reminisced of his father, who had been caught in a violent snow storm. He hadn't returned home. In the morning, his frozen body was found, two blocks away from their house.  
  
Kagome recalled her father, who had died on that stormy day. How had he died? Had he fallen, and cracked his temple? You could die that way. Had he been shot? What made him deserve to die? How could fate be so cruel?  
  
Inu-Yasha's mind trailed off to the day his parents were killed. It was no accident. It had been planned out. They were murdered. Brutally murdered.  
  
Kouga looked at each one of them. They all seemed to be lost in memories. Sango was crying silently. The mutt, Inu-Yasha, had a scowl on his face. Miroku looked forlorn. Kagome's eyes were hollow, empty. He hated it when she looked like that. He looked away.  
  
Kouga cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to hear about everyone's sorrowful past. Can we cheer things up a little?"  
  
Inu-Yasha growled. "Are you saying that the fact that we've lost family members doesn't matter?"  
  
Kouga snarled at him back. "No. I'm saying that it's stupid to drown yourself in memories of the past. What's happened has happened, and you can't change it."  
  
Inu-Yasha was getting ready to lunge.  
  
Kagome sighed. "Inu-Yasha, stop. He's right. We have moved on. It's ok to think about them, but we can't dwell on these memories forever."  
  
Sango and Miroku nodded. Sango brushed away her tears.  
  
(Ok, I know it's so OOC, that Sango is crying and Kagome isn't, but, Kagome isn't like in the anime, ok? Refer to chapter ten.)  
  
They were all silent.  
  
Kagome cleared her throat. "I'm going to get some drinks for us."  
  
"I'll help." Inu-Yasha said, getting up abruptly.  
  
Kouga stood up too. "Yeah – I'll come too."  
  
Sango sighed enviously. (A lot of envious sighs in this chapter O_o;;;)  
  
'I wish I could have someone follow me around like that...Kagome-chan is so lucky...having two guys head over heels in love with her...'  
  
The three exited the black and red room, to fetch some drinks.  
  
Silence.  
  
Miroku coughed. "Does Kouga harbour feelings for Kagome?"  
  
Sango nodded. "Yup." She said dryly. "Wait a minute. How do you know?"  
  
Miroku sweatdropped. "He's trying to hide it?"  
  
Sango nodded sheepishly.  
  
"Well, he does a very bad job of it. I'm surprised that Kagome hasn't realized anything."  
  
"Tell me about it. But, don't say anything to Kagome-chan, ok? He wanted me to keep it a secret."  
  
Miroku nodded.  
  
Silence.  
  
"They're taking an awfully long time just to get drinks..."  
  
*  
  
~Inu-Yasha's balcony...  
  
"I thought we were getting drinks!" Inu-Yasha whispered from his position, hanging on the balcony railing.  
  
"Yeah!" Kouga hissed. Kagome waved a hand.  
  
"Shut up! It was a front!" She hissed back, watching the two in the room.  
  
*  
  
Sango watched Miroku from the corner of her eye.  
  
Miroku suddenly spoke. "Speaking of feelings...do you like anyone?"  
  
Sango blushed. "Well...do you?"  
  
"Yes, I do. She is very beautiful, has eyes sparkling with life, and is the only one I can ever love."  
  
Sango was quiet for a moment. "Who is she?"  
  
Miroku smiled and turned towards her fully.  
  
"Her name is Sango."  
  
Sango gasped when she felt Miroku embracing her.  
  
"I don't know what your feelings for me are," he spoke softly. "But no matter what, I will always love you. Even if you leave, I will never forget you. I would follow you, if it meant swimming the largest ocean, or climbing the tallest mountain. My heart belongs to you and you alone. Sango, I love you."  
  
She felt tears in her eyes, before she broke down sobbing. "I love you too!"  
  
*  
  
Kagome sighed dreamily, before turning to Inu-Yasha. "Why couldn't YOU be that romantic!?"  
  
Inu-Yasha blushed. "Well...I didn't know you liked romantic stuff...and besides, I'm not good at that."  
  
Kouga glanced at Kagome. 'She likes romance, huh?'  
  
He remembered Sango's words.  
  
~ 'Yup...hopelessly romantic too...' ~  
  
Maybe he could put that to an advantage.  
  
*  
  
Sango felt so content in her love's arms. And he hadn't groped her.  
  
Well, yet.  
  
A hand caressed her backside.  
  
"HENTAI!!!"  
  
*SLAP*  
  
*  
  
Kagome shook her head. "Miroku, the idiot. Trust him to ruin a magical moment..."  
  
Inu-Yasha and Kouga both nodded. "Yup..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Whew.  
  
Exactly a week. And I'm moving in a few days! Yay!  
  
I hope that this chapter explained and covered any questions about Sesshoumaru and Kagura's relationship. And I just HAD to add Rin! I don't really like Sessh/Rin pairings, I mean, she's a kid. I like it more when Rin looks up to Sessh as a father figure.  
  
Finally, the long awaited Sango/Miroku fluff has arrived! Rejoice! *Waves around a flag*  
  
^_^; The sugar hasn't worn off yet. Anyhow, please go check out my story 'Forgiveness'. It's really, really, short, so it won't waste any of your time if you don't like it. It's really weird though, since about 70% percent of my story ideas start out with one-shots. And I've decided I'm not going to continue 'Running Away from Reality'. Nope, since I'm working on two new fics. One will be coming out in a few weeks, in May. The other, I'm not sure about. I now have 20 story ideas!  
  
I went back and read a few of my chapters. I just realized how confusing this story is. I keep forgetting to explain stuff. Bah...  
  
*Translations:  
  
yaseokami – wimpy wolf  
  
inukurro – dog turd  
  
okaa-san - mom  
  
SilverWolf-Ryuki: Ehh...^_^; Indeed. Episodes 133-134 rule! So kawaii. Was this update soon enough? (I highly doubt it)  
  
Sihara: Yes, poor Kouga-kun. However, there is some Kouga/Kagome fluff later on...but the final pairing is still undisclosed...muhaha! ...^_^;  
  
Rin Mitsuishi: Ah yes, suspense! Don't yah just love it!? Keeping you on the edge of the seat, but not quite falling off...grr. ^^ This story is probably gonna be 30+ chapters. It was originally gonna be 20, but then...nope. That would be too short.  
  
Smurf2005: I hope you enjoyed the Kikyo bashing in this chapter! I should add more. Anyhow, I can barely cook. I only recently learned how. A year ago, I couldn't make toast without burning it! (Seriously.)  
  
Airen2: Lol. When someone puts Sesshoumaru in an AU fic, doesn't it seem wrong if he's really sloppy and careless? I don't know. But it seems most fitting for Sesshoumaru to either be: a business man or an artist, and really, really, really neat. Graceful. You get my drift?  
  
c-dog: YES! You updated 'Leaders of the Pack'! Yes! Yes! Yaaaaaayy! That was so cool. Damn Kikyo to hell for cheating! *growls* *pulls out a ripped up picture of Kikyo and starts throwing darts at it*  
  
kimiko43092: Thanks. I did eventually find some inspiration. I also just found out that if I force myself to write, I get ideas as I'm typing. ^_^  
  
Rushyuo: There. I kept my promise. Saturday. ^_^ Of course, this is when I'm posting, but I have no clue when it'll show up. Grr... And I hear you already!! Heh...  
  
Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed! *Throws plushies to reviewers*  
  
Ja, Saki ^_~  
  
*Chanting* Review...review...review...review...  
  
Please? *Puppy dog eyes* 


	15. You Have My Word

Short chapter ahead.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha! Leave me alone, freaking lawyers!!  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Fifteen: You Have My Word  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
"I can't believe he confessed!" Kagome exclaimed, trying to not burst out laughing. Sango nodded with a dreamy look in her eyes.  
  
The two girls were at Sango's condominium. They had just gone for a swim, and had gotten back only minutes ago. They were both seated cross-legged on Sango's huge four-poster bed, complete with magenta sash drapes. Sango hugged a pillow.  
  
"I know...and I admitted my feelings too..."  
  
"That's so...so..." Kagome couldn't help it anymore, and burst out laughing. Sango stared in alarm at her best friend.  
  
"Are you ok?" Sango asked incredulously. Wasn't randomly bursting out laughing a sign of insanity?  
  
When Kagome started breathing again, she answered. "Ok. Don't get mad at me. But me, Inu and Kouga were on the balcony. We saw and heard it all."  
  
Sango looked livid for a moment, before deflating. "Should have known..." she muttered. Sango sighed. "It's ok. At least you were honest."  
  
Kagome looked guilty. "Sorry! How can I make it up?"  
  
Silence overtook them.  
  
Sango broke into a devious grin.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened. "NO! NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT! NUH-UH! NOT THAT!!!!"  
  
Sango cackled. "You have to give me half your stash of Pocky!"  
  
"NOOOOoooooo...."  
  
*  
  
"See yah, Kag-chan!" Sango called.  
  
"Bye!!" Kohaku yelled. In the distance, Kagome waved and walked off.  
  
Sango exhaled and a puff formed. She shivered.  
  
"Cummon, Kohaku. Let's go back in."  
  
~*~  
  
Kouga lay stretched out on the couch in his room. He had music turned up on his computer.  
  
Sure, he could use the boombox.  
  
Sure, he could use the grand sound system.  
  
Sure, he could use his CD player.  
  
Sure, he could use the electronics room.  
  
But he was waiting for Kagome to reply his many, many, many emails.  
  
*A hundred days have made me older  
  
Since the last time that I saw your pretty face*  
  
Apart from school, they hadn't even gotten together. He hadn't even seen her.  
  
*A thousand lies have made me colder  
  
And I don't think I can look at this the same*  
  
Could they ever return to being close, best friends? Could they ever go roller skating, speaking of their troubles, and simply enjoying each other's presence?  
  
*But all these miles that separate  
  
Disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face*  
  
How true could this song be? He always dreamt of her. Only her. And he would continue to dream of only her.  
  
*I'm here without you baby  
  
But you're still on my lonely mind  
  
I think about you baby  
  
And I dream about you all the time  
  
I'm here without you baby  
  
But you're still with me in my dreams  
  
And tonight it's only you and me*  
  
But no...he was alone because she was off with that mutt.  
  
*The miles just keep rolling  
  
As the people leave their way to say hello*  
  
Suddenly, the email alert went off. Kouga jumped off and clicked the 'Inbox' button.  
  
And sure enough, was an email from Kagome.  
  
Kouga cheered inwardly. Opening up the email, this is what it said:  
  
~Hey Kouga-kun!  
  
Sorry, I've just been so busy. I was just at Sango's place. Umm...meeting today? Sorry...I really can't. I'm seeing Inu. *blush* Maybe some other time. I hope yah understand. Of course you do! You're my best pal. ^_^  
  
Ja, Kag~  
  
And that was it. What happened to super long emails that took forever to get through?  
  
What happened to going roller skating and chatting and (in Kagome's case) eating Pocky?  
  
And furthermore...it was because of that bastard Inu-Yasha.  
  
*I've heard this life was overrated  
  
But I hope that it gets better as we go*  
  
Kouga shook with rage and sadness. Spinning around, he punched the nearest object to him – his mirror. It shattered into a thousand pieces. Panting, Kouga was only faintly aware of the blood dripping down his hand and onto the carpeted floor of his gigantic room.  
  
*I'm here without you baby  
  
But you're still on my lonely mind  
  
I think about you baby  
  
And I dream about you all the time  
  
I'm here without you baby  
  
But you're still with me in my dreams  
  
And tonight its only you and me*  
  
'That bastard...will pay...'  
  
~*~  
  
Miroku sat on the porch of his house, looking onto the yard and streets.  
  
He had said it. Those three, powerful words: I love you.  
  
And she felt the same way!  
  
Now not only Inu-Yasha had a girlfriend, he did too!  
  
...Speaking of Inu-Yasha and Kagome's relationship, did they know of Kouga's feelings? Inu-Yasha probably suspected something, but Kagome was just so blind.  
  
Sure, Kagome and Kouga were supposed to be friends. But...it was clear that Kouga's love for Kagome was very, very strong. And Kouga wasn't like one to back down without a fight. Normally Kouga seemed like a pretty nice person.  
  
But in real, he was just stubborn.  
  
Not before long, Miroku's thoughts drifted back to a certain dark brown haired girl with brown eyes who had bite in her slap.  
  
~*~  
  
"Oh yeah. Mama?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Kagome was in the kitchen, rummaging for a bite to eat while Mrs. Higurashi prepared dinner.  
  
"I'm going to Inu's place for dinner, ok?"  
  
"Inu? You mean that boy with dog ears and silver hair? Sesshoumaru's younger brother?"  
  
"Half-brother," Kagome corrected, taking out a can of Coke and sipping it. "Yup."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "It's been so long since the last time I spoke to Sesshoumaru. The last time was at your father's funeral."  
  
Kagome nodded. "Anyway...So, I'll be getting ready..."  
  
Her mother frowned. "But don't you have miko training with your grandpa today?"  
  
Kagome groaned. "Tomorrow! I can't today. I already promised Inu!"  
  
Mrs. Higurashi. "Fine. But what about Kouga? I thought that Saturdays were your get-together days."  
  
Kagome froze. 'I feel guilty suddenly...'  
  
She cleared her throat. "I replied his email. He knows. It's ok with him."  
  
"Alright then...if you say so."  
  
(A/N: Are you so sure that Kouga's ok with it?)  
  
~*~  
  
Kagome walked down the street, on her way to Inu-Yasha's place. She was dressed in tight camouflage super flares and a black turtleneck. While walking, she passed a flower shop. In the display, there was a vase of cream-coloured roses.  
  
Suddenly, she had a rush of déja vu.  
  
The image of someone holding a single cream-coloured rose...?  
  
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Kagome continued on her way.  
  
"Weird..."  
  
*  
  
Kagome walked up Inu-Yasha's doorsteps. Before she could even ring the doorbell, the door swung open.  
  
"Hi!" Inu-Yasha greeted, allowing Kagome to step in.  
  
"H-hey," Kagome said. "Are you always so...excited whenever I come over?"  
  
Inu-Yasha blushed, but remained silent.  
  
The two walked up to Inu-Yasha's room, in silence.  
  
"Anyhow..." Inu-Yasha mumbled. "What do yah wanna do?"  
  
Kagome scanned the room. Her eyes fell on his computer. "Oh! Can I sign into my MSN account?"  
  
Inu-Yasha nodded. Skipping over, Kagome sat down clicked the messenger icon, opening up the window.  
  
After typing in her email and password (Kagome told Inu-Yasha to turn away), she waited for it to sign in.  
  
When it did, a new window popped up on the bottom right.  
  
~You have 11 new email messages~  
  
Kagome sighed. "Already?"  
  
Inu-Yasha, who was standing behind Kagome, raised an eyebrow. "Who sends you so many emails?"  
  
Kagome opened her Inbox.  
  
One was from Sango.  
  
The other ten were from Kouga.  
  
Inu-Yasha growled. "Stupid bastard."  
  
Kagome sweatdropped.  
  
Just then, a new chat window opened up. The conversation goes (alright, I know this isn't how it is on MSN, but...just let it slip, okay?):  
  
Ookami: hey  
  
Miko Kag: hey 2 u 2  
  
Ookami: I thought u were at the mutt-face's?  
  
(Inu-Yasha growled.)  
  
Miko Kag: Lol...I am  
  
Ookami: ...you're on his comp?  
  
Miko Kag: O_o yeah so?  
  
Ookami: ...oh nothing...  
  
('Feh. Stupid wolf is jealous,' Inu-Yasha thought.)  
  
Miko Kag: u emailed me 10 times  
  
Ookami: ...yeah?  
  
Miko Kag: ^_^; yeah  
  
Ookami: v_v; should I not have?  
  
Miko Kag: well, no...but, isn't that...over doing it a bit? Lol  
  
Ookami: I guess...  
  
('If only you knew, Kagome...' Kouga said in clearly, in his mind.)  
  
Miko Kag: rite. Well, I think I gotta go...Inu-chan's getting pissed.  
  
Ookami: well too bad for – DID YOU JUST CALL HIM INU-CHAN!?  
  
Miko Kag: O_O; yeah...  
  
(Inu-Yasha walked out of the room. Kagome turned her head. "Where yah going!?" she called out.  
  
Inu-Yasha walked back into the room, with a laptop. He signed into his account. "Add me to the conversation."  
  
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Alright...".)  
  
Tessaiga's Wielder had been added to the conversation.  
  
Ookami: wtf!?  
  
Miko Kag: he asked me to add him.  
  
Ookami: ...whatever  
  
Tessaiga's Wielder: yo  
  
Ookami: 'Tessaiga's Wielder'!? what kind of a shitty name is that!?  
  
Tessaiga's Wielder: it's a tru name, that's wut  
  
Miko Kag: ^_^;  
  
Ookami: *snort* 'Tessaiga'? what the hell is that anyway?  
  
Tessaiga's Wielder: as a matter of fact, it's a sword I inherited from my father  
  
Miko Kag: ;_; aww...  
  
Tessaiga's Wielder: wut's so 'aww'? want me to change it?  
  
Miko Kag: no! it's fine  
  
Tessaiga's Wielder: oh well. I'm gonna anyway, if you'll stop going 'aww'. brb  
  
Miko Kag: *blush* humph  
  
Ookami: leave him be Kag...he's just not worth it  
  
Inu Youkai: there  
  
Miko Kag: cool  
  
Miko Kag: it's got the same meaning as your own name tho O_o  
  
Inu Youkai: yeah  
  
Ookami: both mean 'dog demon'  
  
Inu Youkai: wow, who knew you could actually figure that out!?  
  
Ookami: you son of a bitch!  
  
Miko Kag: well...if he was a pure dog demon, that wouldn't be much of a diss *thoughtful* o_O sorta weird...  
  
Inu Youkai: you're the real son of a bitch. Your mother is a wolf demon  
  
Ookami: fine. You man whore  
  
Inu Youkai: WTF you bastard!?  
  
Ookami: you ARE a playboy. Kag?  
  
Miko Kag: ...*looks away*  
  
Inu Youkai: ...  
  
Ookami: ha!  
  
Inu Youkai: fine. I promise to Kagome that if she'll stay with me, I will stop being a playboy  
  
Miko Kag: really!?  
  
Inu Youkai: you have my word  
  
Miko Kag: alright! ^_^  
  
Ookami: humph. But you're still a man whore  
  
Inu Youkai: I'm a virgin for your information  
  
Miko Kag: you are?  
  
Inu Youkai: wtf? How could u think so lowly of me!?  
  
Miko Kag: just jk!  
  
Inu Youkai: you better be...  
  
Miko Kag: ^^;  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's it for now.  
  
Yeah, I know this chapter is shitty. But I wanted to update before the computer is unplugged and stuff. _  
  
Humph. Moving has its disadvantages. ;_;  
  
Anyhow, I have changed web servers. Geocities was just too complicated for my liking. I'll use that for bigger sites later on. Meanwhile, I use freewebs.com now. It's my new fanfic status log. ^_^  
  
I realized that the conversation was a bit confusing. Or a lot confusing. I didn't put in the 'says' and...yeah. Yes, I do use MSN. I live in Canada, not the US. ^_^; Sorry. ...Wait a minute, why am I sorry? Lol. I can't help the fact I was born here.  
  
Next Chapter: Among the Roses – What happens after the conversation? Part two of Kagome's trip to Inu's place.  
  
ahanchan: I love I/K/K triangles. We'll see the final pairing, we'll see. I have a new fic coming out in May, which IS Kouga/Kagome, so you might want to read that. *Shrug* Sesshoumaru/Rin is a lot more common than Sesshoumaru/Kagura, but I find Sesshoumaru/Rin pairings to be...sorta wrong...^_^; Sure, she's full grown in AU fics...but that just means that people are getting nasty ideas from the anime, since she's only a kid. _  
  
Rushyuo: You're not stupid! And yes, I hope this answered your question of what happens in this chapter. ^_^; But you don't know the pairing yet, so what if you guess wrong? Maybe, maybe not. ^_~  
  
Smurf2005: Yay! That means I can actually write fluff. - -; Sango & Miroku are MEANT TO BE! XD They are so in love with each other! No, Kikyo isn't 'artificially intelligent' (has blonde hair dyed black). Wait...that'd be insulting my friend Emma-chan! She's blonde, and she's a top student! o_O;;  
  
Thanks to the three reviewers! ^_^; *hands out Inu-Yasha shaped cookies*  
  
Ja, Saki  
  
REVIEW! 


	16. Among the Roses

You guys have no idea how much I love you guys!! (As friends, thank you very much.)

After dropping CITR for a while, it's finally back in the wagon. Please do not expect very long chapters anymore though - that's how I lose my inspiration! T-T

Review Responses:

ArcticFoxFire: Yeah...I kinda feel sorry for Kouga too. But I'm throwing in K/K fluff soon. =)

Airen2: Hehe! I might create a love triangle to throw Rin and two other boys into! You can tell that I just adore love triangles, don'cha? XD Yeah, Rin/IY sounds...interesting...though I doubt it's something I'd really wanna read ::sweatdrop::. Maybe, if the fic is REALLY good...but I'm supportive of my fave couplings! :D

SilverWolf-Ryuki: Lol. Thnx for the support! Yeah, I'm gonna be throwing Kagura/Sess fluff in soon. ...Next chap? Maybe. o.O;

Riouki Mika Yume: Hehe, thanks!

Rushyuo: LOL! Your reviews are amusing. Yeah...I use author alerts, so I use the link from the email...which'll lead me to fics! :D

Smurf2005: Haha, yeah. Some of them are. Don't worry, she's not really offended by that stuff. Kouga is soon going to confess!! XD I can't wait to write that chappie!! ::Goes off, dancing::

friendz-freak: Wow. Thanks - I'm speechless. You'll find out the pairing if you keep reading. ;)

Zero2-the-scyther: Sorry, the story was on hold for a while. ::Nervous laugh:: But it's back up now! Thanks for reviewing.

Ceaseless Cloudy Days: Nice pen name! Eeek, ninja elves don't sound very good...but I am continuing this story! =D

.

Thanks a bunch to those who have reviewed my other fics too, especially Trust and Betrayal! I never thought that it would be that popular among my fics. ::Tears of joy:: I feel so happy.

And here is the long, long awaited...::drum roll::...CHAPTER 16!!!

Disclaimer: If Inu-Yasha were actually mine, would I need to write FANfiction?  
  
==========  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Sixteen: Among the Roses  
  
==========  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
Miko Kag: so...  
  
Ookami: o.O  
  
Inu Youkai: - -;  
  
Miko Kag: - - #  
  
Ookami: o.o  
  
Inu Youkai: o.0?  
  
Miko Kag: CAN WE STOP WITH THE FACES!?  
  
Inu Youkai: O.O;  
  
Miko Kag: grr...  
  
Inu Youkai: sry plz dun get mad!  
  
Ookami: ...sucker...  
  
Miko Kag: who?  
  
Ookami: mutt face of course  
  
Inu Youkai: WHY YOU –  
  
Miko Kag: calm down  
  
Inu Youkai: NO!  
  
Miko Kag: YES!  
  
Inu Youkai: NO!  
  
Miko Kag: YEEESSSS!!!!  
  
Inu Youkai: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  
  
Miko Kag: YES AND THAT'S FINAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Ookami: o, kag is pissed  
  
Miko Kag: ok, that's it  
  
Inu Youkai: wut's it  
  
- Miko Kag has left the conversation -  
  
Inu Youkai: wtf!?  
  
Ookami: it's all your fault!  
  
Inu Youkai: ur the one who went 'o, kag is pissed'!  
  
Ookami: YOU'RE the one who was arguing with her!  
  
Inu Youkai: TAT'S NRML!  
  
Ookami: type properly  
  
Inu Youkai: fine! 'THAT'S NORMAL!'  
  
Ookami: loser  
  
Inu Youkai: grr...  
  
Ookami: should I be scared that the little doggy is growling?  
  
Inu Youkai: just BUTT OUT of me and Kag's relationship, alright!?  
  
Ookami: f u  
  
Inu Youkai: f u bak  
  
Ookami: f u bak again half breed  
  
- Ookami may not reply because he or she appears to be offline. -  
  
.  
  
With a grumble, Inu-Yasha signed off as well. He turned around to find Kagome browsing on his computer's address book.  
  
"What are you doing!?" Inu-Yasha yelled out. There was stuff he didn't want her to see in that.  
  
Too late.  
  
"Inu," Kagome said in an overly sweet voice. "What's all this?"  
  
She pointed a bunch of email addresses and phone numbers.  
  
Her own email and phone number was on the top. Under that were Kikyo, Yura, and a bunch of other girl's names that Kagome didn't know.  
  
Inu-Yasha gulped.  
  
"Let me explain!"  
  
Kagome spun around in the computer chair. She had a scowl on her face.  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
His mouth felt dry. "Well...I USED to be a..."  
  
"Player?"  
  
"Yeah...well...isn't that...normal? I was gonna delete them – I swear! I just..."  
  
Kagome huffed. "Save it Inu-Yasha. I would have thought you were better than that."  
  
She got up and walked out, leaving Inu-Yasha in a stunned stupor.  
  
--  
  
Kagome sighed and blew away a strand of hair from her face. "Stupid Inu- Yasha..."  
  
She kept on muttering to herself, walking through his house blindly, until she came to the back door. With a shrug, she entered the backyard.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened as she stepped out. It was an elegant garden, once again with a fountain and sundial. There was a big willow tree, as well as vines around the fencing. There were roses everywhere. They were growing over the fences, and grew around trees. Red, pink, white, blue...there were so many colours.  
  
With a slight gasp, Kagome approached the roses and knelt down. Lightly, she touched a petal from a creamy coloured rose. It was silky soft, and felt smooth against her skin. The sheer elegance and beauty of it could stun someone.  
  
"Pretty, aren't they?" A voice spoke. Kagome spun around to see Inu-Yasha leaning next to her, against the fence.  
  
She frowned slightly, not forgetting the previous incident. "Now what?"  
  
Inu-Yasha sighed and kneeled down beside her. "Kagome, hear me out."  
  
"I don't need to hear you out. You were a player and you'll always be."  
  
"No. That's not true." Inu-Yasha turned to the roses and picked one, severing the stem with his claw.  
  
"Kagome...you're the first girl I've actually ever truly cared about. I never felt the same way as I do with other girls. To me, I simply acknowledge their being, but no more."  
  
Kagome found herself staring deep into his golden amber eyes. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, as if it would burst at any moment.  
  
Inu-Yasha took her hand in his and placed the rose in it.  
  
"I can go on about my feelings, but to put it bluntly: I love you, Kagome."  
  
That said, he placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head upwards. Leaning down, he captured her lips in a gentle, sweet kiss.  
  
After breaking apart, Kagome sighed and opened her eyes, hardly noticing that she had closed them.  
  
"I love you too." She whispered, hugging him. He smiled and returned the embrace.  
  
--  
  
Sango sighed and rolled over on her bed. Now that her feelings for Miroku had amplified, being apart from him was a saddening, indeed. Just then, her phone rang.  
  
Reaching out to grab the white phone, she pressed the 'talk' button.  
  
"Moshi moshi-?"  
  
"Sango?"  
  
"Oh, hey Miroku!"  
  
"How's everything going, Sango?"  
  
"Great! How're things for you?"  
  
"Oh...boring. It's been dull these days. My guardian, Mushin, has been getting drunk again."  
  
"Heh...oh yeah, wanna come over? It's pretty boring here too. Father took Kohaku to his hockey game, and they won't be back till pretty late."  
  
"::Gasp:: Sango! I didn't realize you were that naughty!!"  
  
"NO, YOU HENTAI!! I'm implying...THAT!"  
  
"Oh...and you got my hopes up too!"  
  
Sango sighed, exasperated. "Do you want to come over or not?"  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
"Okay, bring your swimming stuff."  
  
"Sure thing. See you in a few. Love you."  
  
"Love yah too, buh bye."  
  
Sango grinned as she hang up. "Yay!" She cried out, hugging her pillow.  
  
--  
  
Kouga growled as he punched the punching bag again. He was imagining the punching bag was Inu-Yasha.  
  
No surprises there.  
  
He was currently in his mansion's gym, with all sorts of equipment.  
  
However, Kouga chose to ignore them and concentrate on pulverizing the punch bag, currently dubbed as 'Inu-Yasha'.  
  
"Stupid SON OF A BITCH!!" He swore, punching the object and sending it off its rope and crashing into the wall of the other side of the gym (which was really far).  
  
He stood, panting, before collapsing to the floor laid out with mats. He stared at the ceiling, still out of breath. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, and all over his bare chest and six-pack. (A/N: ...::drool::)  
  
Kouga lay still. 'That mutt...he took Kagome away from me. She overlooks all my clues as signs of friendship. He blinded her.'  
  
He glared at the ceiling, as if it too, had done something wrong.  
  
'Inu-Yasha. You took away Kagome. You took away her and my time together. You interfered – don't you understand? You shouldn't be here. You are an obstruction.'  
  
If only Inu-Yasha would disappear. Then things would be normal again. If Inu-Yasha had never existed. Then Kagome would too, have probably, if not surely, have fallen for him.  
  
It would be alright...  
  
But, now, because he had intruded upon them, he and Kagome's time were slipping away. He was pissed, especially today. Saturdays were supposed to be he and Kagome's get together days, where they'd either go see a movie, go biking, rollerblading, or something of the sort. Maybe even just stay indoors and chat.  
  
"I really hate you...no...loathe – despise – you, Inu-Yasha..."  
  
Slowly, Kouga picked himself up. Walking to the end of the room, he opened doors which lead to a hallway. Walking down the hallway this time, he went up a grand staircase, down another hallway, and then into his room.  
  
Once again collapsing onto his bed, he let out a string of curses under his breath. Stress was really pushing his buttons today...  
  
Deciding that a shower was the best, Kouga grabbed a few towels and entered the washroom. Quickly stripping, he stepped into the shower and blasted cold water. The water pounded on his skin, soothing his aching muscles.  
  
He couldn't deny the fact that Kagome would be the best medicine...  
  
::Flashback::  
  
"Not so cocky now, are we?"  
  
Twelve-year-old Kouga smirked from the tree branch. Kagome pulled herself up and sat down next to him.  
  
"Oh shuddup..." Kagome huffed, rocking her feet back and forth on the tree branch.  
  
"How come you've been losing all our races?"  
  
"Stop mocking me about it! I'm a girl!!" Kagome yelled, punching him playfully on the arm. She lost her balance, and started tipping over.  
  
"Whoa!"  
  
Suddenly, Kagome felt two arms around her waist. She looked up, and met azure eyes.  
  
Kagome blushed, lost in the icy blue orbs.  
  
::End Flashback::  
  
"Kagome...you have no idea what you do to me." Kouga mumbled to himself. He turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around himself.  
  
Abruptly, he whirled around and punched the wall, creating a dent.  
  
'Inu-Yasha...I swear, once I get Kagome back – I will personally kill you...'  
  
Taking a deep breath, Kouga got dressed and walked to his computer. Logging onto the net, he typed in a few keywords. Now to order it...  
  
Typing in his password, a delivery address, and credit card number, he pressed 'Done'.  
  
(A/N: O.O I did NOT see that coming!)  
  
--  
  
Sango ran to get the door when someone knocked. She opened it up slightly, then the full way.  
  
"Hi Miroku!"  
  
"Greetings, my lovely Sango." He almost purred.

Without warning, he swept Sango into his arms, and kissed her. She was shocked at first, but then melted into his embrace, kissing back.  
  
--  
  
"See you Monday." Kagome said as she walked out.  
  
"Yeah. Don't forget to call, or I'll call you." Inu-Yasha reminded her. Kagome grinned at him.  
  
Leaning in, she pecked him lightly on the lips. "I won't forget. Ja ne."  
  
With a wink, she was off.  
  
Inu-Yasha stood, leaning against the doorway, lost in the thoughts running through his head.  
  
"Only for you Kagome, will I ever change anything about myself."  
  
Inu-Yasha stepped back into the house. He sprinted into his room and opened his closet. And the right, back corner, was a small white cardboard box. Grinning, he took it out and put it in his desk drawer. His head spun and she thought of how she would react once he gave it to her.  
  
--  
  
"I'm home!" Kagome called. Her mom appeared from the kitchen.  
  
"Kagome? A package arrived for you."  
  
Kagome blinked, but followed her mom into the kitchen. On the table was a small box. There was nothing but her address printed on it.  
  
"Weird..." Kagome mumbled and opened it. She dug through the styrofoam before her hand hit something smooth. Slowly, she drew it out, and gasped.  
  
It was the cell phone she had been ogling at for a month. It was a silver, compact, camera flip phone. But who couldn't sent her this incredibly expensive phone!? She dumped the contents of the box out, to find a tiny note.  
  
:: Hope you like it ::  
  
That was all! And it was typed too...  
  
Weird...  
  
Kagome looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It read 10:35.  
  
"Already!? Aww shit, I gotta get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow for miko training..."  
  
Yawning, Kagome took her precious phone up with her to her room. Laying it carefully on her bedside table, she took out her fleece PJs and changed quickly. Flopping onto her comfy bed, she sighed contently. She grinned at her cell phone before sleep overtook her.  
  
========================

-moshi moshi means 'hello' - only when on the phone!

Once again, thank you so much. I could never have made it this far without you guys! ::Hugs you all, hands out IY and Kouga plushies::

IY: ...what the _hell_ are these?

Kouga: ...I'm not that fat!

Saki: Of course you aren't. But you guys are cute as plushies! XD

Kagome: ::holds up IY and Kouga plushies:: Awww!!! ="3

IY & Kouga: That's good enough, then.

Saki: Sigh Yeah, Kagome's approval. Kagome, tell them to review!

Kagome: ...Okay. Don't forget to review!! You're feeback is greatly valued!! =)

IY: **REVIEW OR ELSE I'LL RIP YOUR THROATS OUT!!!**

Kouga: **UNLESS YOU WANNA BE FED TO MY WOLVES...REVIEW!!**

Sesshoumaru: Fools. Telling them to review is good enough.

Kagura: ::Rolls eyes:: Are you really in a position to say that?

Saki: ...just review. _Please_.

Ja ne!!


	17. Double

Oh my god!! I updated!! ...even though it's a short chapter -- I updated!! O.O XD

Yeah, you guys are probably all pissed cause I haven't updated in soo long... . Sorry. Anyway... this chapter is about...halfway into the fic... or more. ...Hmmm...I can still make it last if I update really slow... but now I want to keep writing cause I'm approaching the best part of the fic... ugh. .

Review Responses:

Ceaseless Cloudy Days - Yay!! My fluff didn't scare you!

Rushyuo - Hehe... you'll find out about the phone thing this chappie.

ahanchan - Yeah, this fic makes my heart twist for Kouga... ::sigh::. Hmm... speaking of all these love triangles, maybe I'll write a Kohaku/Rin/Souta fanfic... oooohhh yeah!! Thanks for the inspiration!! :D More angsty goodness!! There's a bit of K/K fluff... just a little. Then more I/K fluff. Anyway, thanks again for giving me the new fic idea!!!

Seraphina Angelique - =)

Shrimple13 - Aha! The cell phone thing!! ;) You will find out in this chapter... and the rest next chappie. -.-;; Lol.

Kill-all-Flamers-210 - Umm, no, I'm still alive. -.-;; Anyway, sorry for keeping you waiting. =)

Theatre of War - Well, it used to take me that long...lol, but now since I've decided not to write all the useless stuff, I like this ficcy again. XD

SilverWolf-Ryuki - ...well, I suppose I can get you Sessh and Kagura plushes...n.n ...instead of saying 'cotton candy with slight taste of lime' you could have just said lime flavoured cotton candy, lol. XD Hah, well -- tell Sesshoumaru that soon I'm gonna add fluff... with Fluffy in it!! Muahhaha!!

cherryblosomz - Lol, 'interesting'. XD

Moonglow gal - We shall see who gets Kaggie!! XD Hehehe... and if you wanna find out, keep reading and reviewing. =D

Kagome - Hehe... thanks!! n.n

Airen2 - Actually, I didn't plan on putting the chatting in at first, but when I did, it seemed cool. :D Thanks for reviewing!

Sapphire767 - =D Thanks!!

Kouga'seagleforever - Lol. Yeah... I shouldn't make Kouga suffer... but this _is_ an angsty fic... well, it's going to start to turn towards angst anyway, and this time, it's not just Kouga whose suffering... .

Smurf2005 - Do I like strawberry pocky!? Of course!!! XD Thank you so much!! ::Clobbers you with a hug:: Yes, I finally updated... and hopefully I won't take really, really long next time! ="3 Pocky!!

undrappreciatedsib - Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with using the same flashback. To Kouga and Kagome, it was an event that stands out in their memory clearly, so both of them like to recall that event sometimes. We'll see about your prediction... we shall see. ;)

imreallysorry - What? Of course I read your review! I read all the reviews! =D I'll try to fit in one or two more MSN conversations... maybe with Sango and Miroku! Thanks for reviewing!!

FlameBaby - Well... this may or may not turn out to be K/K... ;) But if you want to read something that will be K/K for sure, check out my fic Trust and Betrayal. Thanks for the compliment. =3

Souungo - Lol... well... ::flames erupt in background:: you should!! Muahaha!! XD ::Cough:: Anyway... -.-;;

lina - n.n;; Well uhh... we'll see who sent who, what.

.

Thanks sooo much you guys!! I'm glad that you guys haven't given up on this fic... so I won't either!!

.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha, ok?  
  
==========  
  
Caught in the Rain  
  
Chapter Seventeen: Double  
  
==========  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
The next day, Kagome got up at the crack of dawn, dressed in a miko outfit, and went outside.  
  
She was greeted by Kaede and her grandfather.  
  
"Good morning, Lady Kaede." Kagome bowed. Miko rules – always be polite, especially to your elders.  
  
"Good morning, Kagome." Kaede replied. "Shall we begin?"  
  
Kagome nodded, and then followed Kaede into the shrine dojo.  
  
--  
  
"So...how was training?" Sango asked. They were taking a walk on the beachside (despite the fact it was late fall), and eating ice cream cones. Kagome wore a pale yellow turtleneck and grey sweatpants. Sango had on a magenta, short sleeved tee with a white long sleeved shirt underneath, and light blue jeans. They were keeping it simple.  
  
They reached some large rocks and sat down.  
  
Kagome shrugged. "Ok I guess...my powers were just a little unfocused."  
  
Sango raised her eyebrows. "Then your pretty advanced at this stuff."  
  
Shrugging again, Kagome licked her strawberry ice cream. "Yeah...but sometimes I can't summon my energy. Like, I can't heal myself, but I can heal other people's wounds...I can shoot arrows, but I might not always be able to generate energy with my bare hands..."  
  
Sango nodded, understanding the majority of what her friend was saying.  
  
"Did Inu-Yasha say anything?" Sango asked, quite out of the blue.  
  
Kagome looked at her friend strangely. "Where'd that come from?"  
  
Sango grinned. "Well...I figured something happened...you've been staring off into space and sighing dreamily a lot today."  
  
Kagome blushed. "Well..."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"...alright. Inu-Yasha said he loved me."  
  
Sango gasped. "Oh my god, really?!" She hugged Kagome tightly. "Did you tell him?"  
  
Kagome nodded.  
  
"So, then, he gave you the cell phone?"  
  
"Actually...I don't know. Whoever gave the cell phone to me didn't reveal their identity."  
  
"...hmm. Strange."  
  
Suddenly, a rather shrill version of 'Alone' by Mikuni Shimokawa went off. Kagome reached into her pocket and pulled out her new cell phone.  
  
"Moshi moshi?"  
  
"Hey, Kag."  
  
"Oh, hi Kouga!"  
  
"How's it going?"  
  
"Pretty good..."  
  
"What flavour's your ice cream?"  
  
Kagome was silent for a moment. "What?! How do you know I'm eating an ice cream cone?"  
  
"Look up."  
  
Doing so, Kagome saw Kouga a little way off. Kouga smiled and waved slightly. He wore jeans, a white t-shirt and a dark blue plaid button up shirt. Kagome smiled when Kouga came nearer.  
  
"You like your new phone?" He asked. Kagome could also hear his voice on the phone.  
  
Kagome smiled and hung up on the phone, patting the space beside her for Kouga to sit down. He hung up as well, and took the seat beside her.  
  
"Hey, Kouga." Sango greeted.  
  
"Yo."  
  
"It was you, wasn't it?" Kagome asked him. "You sent me the phone!!"  
  
Kouga grinned. "Maybe..."  
  
"Oh my god!! Thank you!!" Kagome squealed and clobbered him with a hug. Kouga gladly accepted the hug, and hugged her back.  
  
'I wish I could hug you all the time...'  
  
After Kagome pulled away, Kouga felt lonely and cold. She had been so warm...  
  
"Anyway. Okay, I'm gonna be holding a party at my place this weekend."  
  
Sango grinned. "Let me guess, it's gonna be..."  
  
"A slumber party!!"  
  
Kouga sweatdropped. "Umm..."  
  
"Yeah. So, Sango-chan, Kouga-kun, Inu-Yasha and Miroku – you're all invited. Of course, the girls will sleep in my room, and the guys can sleep on the roof for all I care."  
  
"Aww, Kag....you're so mean..." Kouga whined.  
  
Kagome looked at him strangely. "You don't WANT to sleep with the girls, do you?"  
  
Kouga blushed, inventing at least five new shades of bright red. "No way!! I mean... I was just saying, that sleeping on the roof is a little..."  
  
"Hah, no. I was kidding, man..."  
  
Sango grinned at her friends' conversation, but inwardly, she was thinking hard. 'Does Kouga know yet? That the two have confessed their feelings...? Is Kouga too late?'  
  
--  
  
"I'm home!" Kagome called out. Taking off her shoes, she quickly went into the kitchen and made some hot chocolate, shivering slightly. 'It's getting cold...'  
  
Kagome spotted something on the kitchen table. "Hmm?"  
  
Picking the box up, she saw her name and the shrine's address printed on it...and no sender's address.  
  
"What is it this time, Kouga?" She said to no one.  
  
Opening it up, and digging through the styrofoam, her hand hit something cool and flat.  
  
Pulling the object out, Kagome saw that it was – a cell phone.  
  
Kagome scratched her head. "Weird."  
  
'It couldn't be from Kouga...' Kagome thought as she examined. 'He already gave me a cell phone... and this...this is the exact same one...'  
  
She pulled out the other one from her pocket, and held them side by side.  
  
They were indeed, exactly the same.  
  
--  
  
"Another boring day of school..." Kagome mumbled. She wore navy blue flares, a long, light blue sweater/coat that reached her knees, and a white long sleeved shirt underneath.  
  
"Kagome!" A familiar voice called out. Turning, she saw Inu-Yasha. He sported baggy black pants, and a dark blue long sleeved shirt.  
  
"Hey," She greeted, and kissed him. He was shocked at first, but leaned into the kiss anyway.  
  
.  
  
Sango walked towards school, head down and thinking. She was dressed in (A/N: So many clothing descriptions...) a brown skirt, thick white stockings, and a white shirt. She carried a white jacket with her as well.  
  
The first thing she saw as she entered school grounds was Kagome...and Inu-Yasha, in a lip-lock. Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Kouga approaching. Her eyes went wide and she looked around frantically. Picking up a rock and aiming carefully, she threw it at Kouga's shoulder. It hit its target.  
  
He had been lifting his head up to look in front of him, but Sango's timing was perfect.  
  
"Ow!" Kouga exclaimed and whirled around to see no one there. In the meantime, Inu-Yasha and Kagome had broken apart, and started walking towards the school building.  
  
Sango sighed in relief. 'I have to tell him though... wonder how he's gonna take it...'  
  
--  
  
During geo, Inu-Yasha had continuously been passing notes to Kagome. Sango had been on the edge of her seat, trying to figure out what to do, Kouga had actually been taking notes on what the teacher was saying, and Miroku was catching up on sleep. Typical geography class...  
  
Finally, the bell rang, and everyone scrambled up in a hurry to get out of the stuffy geo classroom.  
  
However, as Miroku got up, Sango pulled him to the side, and checked to make sure no one was listening. Everyone had left the classroom. Sango checked behind the door just in case.  
  
"Alright Sango, what's up?" Miroku asked playfully.  
  
"Miroku, I'm really worried."  
  
Miroku lost his lighthearted attitude at once. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Inu-Yasha and Kagome confessed their feelings for each other."  
  
Sango thought she heard an intake of breath, but passed it off as paranoia.  
  
Blinking, Miroku looked at Sango strangely. "So? What's wrong about that? I think they should have told each other long ago."  
  
Sango wrung a piece of her shirt in her hands nervously. "Well...you know that...Kouga loves Kagome too."  
  
A moment of silence passed. "Ah." Miroku said at last. "Now that...may cause some...err..."  
  
"Problems?" Sango put in helpfully.  
  
"Yes, thank you."  
  
"So...what should we do?"  
  
"Well... it may be best not to do anything at all, but who knows how Kouga would react if he found out by himself?"  
  
"Yeah... I was pretty much thinking the same thing. So, I think we should tell him..."  
  
"...and make sure he doesn't do anything brash."  
  
"Well then... oh my god!! They're all down in the cafeteria!!"  
  
The two exchanged glances before rushing out and hurrying down.  
  
Once they were gone and their footsteps faded away, Kikyo got out of under the teacher's desk, and smirked.  
  
===============

Saki: Ooooohhh... cliffie!! Well, yeah... there you go. I updated Trust and Betrayal yesterday, and today I update this, and I'll probably be updating The High Rankers, and after that, New Hope. And now, I am tired. ::Collapses onto the ground, snoring::

Inu-Yasha: ...-.-;;

Kagome: Umm, anyway...

::Silence::

Kouga: What do we do?

Sango: ...umm...

Miroku: ...we can --

Sango: No, you are not allowed to suggest what we can do!!

Miroku: -- eat pizza? ::Whips out 2 large pizzas from behind back::

Inu-Yasha: ...sure.

Kagome: ::Shrugs:: Ok.

Kouga: I'm in.

Sango: ::Already eating pizza::

Miroku: And there you were, saying I couldn't suggest what to do...

Sango: ::Through mouthful of pizza:: Wuheva.

Kouga: Anyway, review, and maybe Saki will give you pizza... of course, she'll pay for it.

Saki: ::Rubbing eyes:: I'll pay for what?

Kouga: Umm... nothing at all.

Saki: Oh... okay. ::Falling asleep again:: I ordered 2 large pizzas for the reviewers ahead, so when they review, give each a slice, ok? ::Starts snoring::

Everyone: ::Looks at the slice of pizza in their hands:: ...uuhhh...

Sango: ::Glares at Miroku:: Good job, Miroku...

Miroku: n.n;;;

Inu-Yasha: ...new deal. If you review, you can also order anything size and quantity of pizza, and if your order is over $20, you'll get a free plushie of your choice... and of course, _one of us_ will pay for you.

Kouga: So the whole order is free for you, no matter how much you actually order. There's pasta and desserts on the menu too, by the way.


	18. Complications

AN: I just read all the previous chapters and realized that this fic sucks shit. It's so confusing, and the grammar is so… so… aahhh! There seems to be no storyline whatsoever, it's immature, and the characters don't even seem to have a set personality. Inuyasha's personality is so poorly depicted that I think I could cry. –Sob-. Well, hopefully the next chapters will be… an improvement.

Apart from that, I know that this is a very short chapter… but for the sake of the dramatic cliffhanger (gasp… or not really), I had to end it where I did. I'm getting started on chapter nineteen right away though, so no worries.

On another note, I'd like to thank everyone who supported me throughout this fic. I know my lack of updates is irritating, but a bunch of you (while reading my other fics too!) still encouraged me to do my best and update whenever I could. Your reviews mean so much to me, without you guys I would have stopped this story for sure. Thanks so much! This (though short) chapter is for all of you. )

Disclaimer: I wish, I wish, I wish I did. But it's not happening.

* * *

Caught in the Rain

Chapter Eighteen: Complications

* * *

Recap: Sango busts the news of Kouga's crush on Kagome to Miroku. The thing is, Kouga still doesn't know that Inuyasha and Kagome are not only a couple, but have declared their love for each other. Kikyou eavesdrops on Sango and Miroku, and plans to make good use of the information collected.

* * *

"So, you got any plans this weekend?" Inuyasha asked Kagome while munching on a couple of fries he stole from her.

Kagome glared at him then chewed on her burger thoughtfully. "Umm… no, I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, there's this big-ass event going on, but it's being held a little ways out of town. There's a concert, carnival, fireworks presentation, and all this awesome shit."

"Oh, the annual… watchamacallit."

"Right." Inuyasha said, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, I'm definitely going, so I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"

"Uhh… sure, why not?" Kagome smiled and Inuyasha felt his heart melt.

"Wait… are we going as a couple or are we bringing other people too?"

"Err…" Inuyasha paused. "I was thinking that it would be more of an occasion just for us."

Kagome nodded. "That's fine."

"This'll be a blast… you realize that the event runs for the entire weekend, though, right? We're probably going to stay at a place near the event."

"Oh," Kagome looked up. "Really? I guess that's alright… but where are we staying? We're not exactly of age to be signing into hotels and all."

Inuyasha smirked. "I could… I can under Sesshoumaru's name… plus I have a fake I.D., obviously. Don't you too?"

"Heh… okay, yeah… but still."

"Nah, we'll be staying at one of my family's cottages."

"Pardon me? You and Kagome will be in a cottage alone?"

Kagome and Inuyasha looked up to see Kouga standing in front of their table. His eyes held a type of frozen fury. Inuyasha stared at him blankly.

"Yeah… what about it?"

Kouga narrowed his eyes. "You've gotten strangely close to Kagome."

"Well of course their close, they're an official couple, but you knew that part... They've proclaimed their undying love for each other!" Another sneering voice interrupted.

Kouga felt something dropped into the pit of his stomach… his heart, probably. "What?" He demanded. "Excuse me?" He turned to Kagome. "You've decided that you're in LOVE with this… thing! When did LOVE come into the picture of this relationship? And you didn't TELL ME?"

"I…" Kagome's eyes were wide and shocked. "I thought… I thought you knew, Kouga… I really thought…"

"But if you didn't tell me, how could I have known?" Kouga looked at her with hurt in his eyes. "I thought that you would tell me anything… I thought we were best friends, Kag."

Kagome stood up quickly, as did Inuyasha. "No! But… I thought that Sango had told you or, or you already found out! I wasn't trying to keep anything you or anything—"

"Indeed?" Kikyou's cold, honey-coated voice cut through. "Then why didn't you tell him first? You're the best of friends, are you not?" She put emphasis on the 'best of friends'. Kouga felt his heart break all over again.

Kagome glared at Kikyou, and Inuyasha stood up. "Kikyou, I think you should butt out of this, this doesn't have anything to do with you."

"I'm just merely stating a fact," she said airily.

Kagome grit her teeth and turned to Kouga. "Kouga, don't listen to a fucking thing she says. I had no harmful intentions whatsoever… I really thought that you already knew—"

"Please, just save it…" Kouga said, his voice strained. "Just save it."

And with that, he quickly departed from the cafeteria.

Kagome stood, as if glued to the spot. She heard Kikyou sigh dramatically.

"My, my… isn't this just a tear-jerker… best friends torn apart due to the lack of trust." Kikyou drawled. "Oh lord, what will they do now?"

"You bitch…" Kagome whispered coldly, turning her head towards Kikyou. "I'll never forgive you for this… burn in hell, I hope you fucking burn until there's nothing left!" She yelled in rage, and ran out in pursue of Kouga.

Inuyasha stared after her. Did Kagome just run out after Kouga and leave him behind without saying a thing? His thoughts were cut short by Miroku who clapped his shoulder.

"Mind enlightening us on what happened here?"

Sango looked anxiously from Inuyasha to the door and back again. "We saw Kouga run out, and then Kagome run out too, a few moments later… just what happened?" She spotted Kikyou leaning against the table a few feet away, arms crossed and looking smug.

"Kikyou… just what the hell did you do?" Sango spat, glaring at her.

Kikyou returned Sango's glare with a cool gaze. "Nothing. They just had too little trust between themselves. Not my problem."

"You… fucking slutty…" She was ready to pounce but Miroku held onto her arm. "Bitch! Let me go Miroku, I know that skank has something to do with this!"

"Now, really. You should clean out that mouth of yours, Sango m'dear." Said girl growled but stayed where she was. "Kagome needs to keep a closer eye on her boys or else they might just slip away from her." Kikyou's smirk really set off something in Sango—something that made her want to rip Kikyou's slimy throat out.

"Kikyou…" Inuyasha spoke quietly.

"Hmm?" They all turned to him. He was looking at the ground, eyes partially blocked from view by his bands. His fists were clenched.

"… beat it."

Kikyou's eyed widened. "But, Inu-baby—"

"BEAT IT YOU FUCKING SLUT!" He whipped around, eyes burning with rage.

"…tche." Kikyou glanced coldly at the three friends and made her exit.

oOoOo

"Kouga!" Kagome searched the courtyard frantically for her friend. It didn't even occur to her to even try to use her miko senses to try to find him. She searched the entire school grounds before the obvious struck her.

"Oh! I'm such an idiot!"

She made towards the sakura tree planted near the tennis court. Her long legs ran swiftly and easily, and soon she was at the base of the tree. She waited a moment to catch her breath, panting.

"Kouga! Can you come down, please?"

She sensed his aura, she knew he was there. But he was just being stubborn.

"Kouga! Get your ass down here this instant before I blow it into pieces, dammit!"

He dropped down from the tree in front of her, frowning. "Dog shit's habits are rubbing off on you."

Kagome sighed. "Kouga… why are you acting like this?"

He didn't reply.

"If something's wrong, please just tell me!"

"It's just that…"

Kagome watched her friend with concerned eyes. "Kouga, please, just tell me what's wrong."

oOoOo

Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha all sat tensely at their table. Silence hung over them like a woolen blanket.

Inuyasha got up. "That's it, she's taking too long. I'm going to find her."

The other two just nodded, throats too tight to speak.

Quickly leaving the cafeteria, Inuyasha exited the school building, sniffing out Kagome's whereabouts. Following the trail her scent left behind, he slowed down as he approached the tennis courts.

oOoOo

Kagome put her hands on Kouga's shoulders. "Kouga, what's wrong? Normally you wouldn't be mad or anything… is this about Inuyasha?"

He nodded tersely.

"What's wrong? You weren't pissed when we were dating or anything."

"That's because you weren't in love at the time."

Kagome was surprised. "Love? You're mad at Inuyasha because we're… what?"

That's it.

"That's what you don't know, Kag! You don't understand…" Kouga stared into her eyes. "That I loved you first." He choked out, before swiftly planting his lips on hers.

oOoOo

Inuyasha stopped. His heart stopped. He felt his breath stop.

Kagome was standing with Kouga, hands on his shoulders, in a lip-lock.

* * *

Ooohh… cliffy! What will happen next? The climax of this otherwise plot-less story. :O 


	19. Everything Goes Downhill

AN: I'm so sorry guys. I know I promised I'd get started on this chapter right after the previous—I did, but… damn. Don't expect a lot of updates from now on, guys. For all my stories. I'm going to put some on hiatus (but if you really think, technically all my stories are on hiatus…), and I might even discontinue a couple. I'm not going to delete them, but… man.

I'm going away this summer, for a pretty long time (over a month). Don't expect ANYTHING at all from the 28th to August. And I mean anything, at all. Nada. Zilch.

Oh yeah. I'm also going to be changing my pen name. So watch out for that.

Apart from that… Wow, over 200 reviews (yes, theatreofwar, you got number 200!)! Thanks a lot guys! (I feel like I don't deserve the reviews).

Disclaimer: I doubt it.

oOoOoOoOo

**Caught in the Rain**

**Chapter Nineteen: Everything Goes Downhill**

oOoOoOoOo

Kagome put her hands on Kouga's shoulders. "Kouga, what's wrong? Normally you wouldn't be mad or anything… is this about Inuyasha?"

He nodded tersely.

"What's wrong? You weren't pissed when we were dating or anything."

"That's because you weren't in love at the time."

Kagome was surprised. "Love? You're mad at Inuyasha because we're… what?"

That's it.

"That's what you don't know, Kag! You don't understand…" Kouga stared into her eyes. "That I loved you first." He choked out, before swiftly planting his lips on hers.

oOoOo

Inuyasha stopped. His heart stopped. He felt his breath stop.

Kagome was standing with Kouga, hands on his shoulders, in a lip-lock.

For a moment, everything just froze. Time stopped, everything locked in position.

Kouga broke the kiss. As if realizing what he had just done, he took a few steps backs from where Kagome stood, eyes wide with shock. Her hand came up to her lips.

And then Inuyasha lost it.

Kouga expected Inuyasha would be seriously pissed if he found out, but he didn't expect to be body slammed by him at that exact moment. The two tumbled to the ground in a wrestle. Kagome gasped, but stood frozen. She watched as the two boys grappled with each other, snarling and growling and just plain furious. Punches and kicks sounded with thuds. It was when Inuyasha slashed at Kouga's chest, ripping his shirt and creating gashes across it that Kagome ran forward.

"Stop! Please, stop it!"

She threw herself between them. They stopped short. Kouga was furious. Inuyasha was nothing short of livid.

"Kagome, butt out. This is our fight."

"Your fight about me!"

"It's still our fight!" Inuyasha snarled in her face. Kagome stepped back in surprise that Inuyasha would lash out in that manner at her.

"Shitface, don't talk to Kagome that way." Kouga yelled at Inuyasha.

"Shut up, you bitch!" Inuyasha threw back.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing! Stop being so rude!" Kagome exclaimed.

"So I should stop being rude, huh? Well, maybe you should stop being a whore!" Inuyasha shouted.

"How the am I a whore, you ass?"

"Oh don't deny bitch, I saw you kiss that fag over there."

"Ok, with that statement, you obviously have no idea what went on right there." Kagome said firmly.

"Contrary to popular belief, _honey_," he said mockingly, "I'm not retarded. I can put two and two together. You ran out of the cafeteria chasing him, and what did I see when I came across you two? You were kissing him!"

"Mutt, you are a dumbass." Kouga hissed.

"That's what you think, Inuyasha! You assume that's what happened, that I'm some kind of… some kind of bitchy whore like Kikyou who chases people so I can kiss people or something, but guess what, genius? Assumptions aren't always corrects, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out!"

"Don't call Kikyou a bitchy whore!"

Kagome was flabbergasted. "She is one! You know what, god damn it!"

"What the hell do you have against her anyway, huh? She's better than you!"

Kagome was on the verge of tears. "Excuse me? Better than me? Well if you like Kikyou so much, why don't you go run to her like the good little puppy you are!"

"Fine! I will! Consider this relationship over, Kagome!"

oOoOo

Inuyasha had stormed away, furious beyond belief. Kagome had stared, wide-eyed and disbelieving. For ten minutes, she stood in the same place, in shock. Finally, she sank to the ground, speechless. Kouga stood beside her kneeling form; awkward and feeling guilty.

Finally, he spoke. "Kagome, I'm really sorry… I… I shouldn't have done that…"

She didn't say anything, but shook her head slowly. "Please… I don't want to hear it right now."

oOoOo

Once Inuyasha reached the school building, he turned around, expecting Kagome to have followed him.

She wasn't there.

He backed up against the building.

"Shit, Kagome… I didn't mean that."

oOoOo

AN: Uh oh. Don't kill me!


	20. My Immortal, Part I

Everyone, freak, cause it's an update! (Hands out cookies).

Edit: Anyway... yeah, I changed my pen name. I'm sorry guys! But I warned you, so... hmm, maybe I should have given people more time, but whatever. Bwahahahaha (chokes). Er, what else was I going to say? Dammit!

Second edit: Guh! I'm such a moron. Of course! I remember! I upped the rating, cause of... vulgar langauge. The F word! (Gasp).

Disclaimer: He was put up for auction. Sadly, I was outbid.

oOoOoOoOo

**Caught in the Rain**

**Chapter Twenty: My Immortal, Part I**

oOoOoOoOo

Once Inuyasha reached the school building, he turned around, expecting Kagome to have followed him.

She wasn't there.

He backed up against the building.

"Shit, Kagome… I didn't mean that."

oOoOo

Sango and Miroku sat, tersely, waiting for one of their three friends to return. Who knew what kind of drama was going on… after all, it was everybody's famed love triangle out there, no supervision. Had Inuyasha ripped Kouga's vocal chords out by now? Or had Kouga maimed Inuyasha?

Sango sighed.

Miroku sighed.

They sighed together.

Finally, Sango saw Inuyasha walk through the cafeteria doors, eyes downcast and silent. She and Miroku rushed over.

"Shit man, what happened?" Miroku asked at once. Inuyasha didn't reply. He ignored them and made his way out the other exit.

"What do you think happened?" Sango said after a while. Miroku shook his head.

"I don't know..." he mumbled, brows knitted with worry.

oOoOo

"Name?"

"Kagome Higurashi."

"And may I ask why you are signing out when school isn't over?"

"… I'm not feeling very well."

And indeed, she looked quite pale. The secretary nodded, giving her a form to fill out. Kagome scrawled in the information, and departed from the school building quickly.

oOoOo

"Hey look, there's Kouga!" Sango exclaimed. She jumped up from her spot and rushed over, stopping him at the doorway. There were only ten more minutes left of the lunch hour, but since they all had spares right after, there was no hurry.

Miroku trailed behind Sango slightly as they approached the quiet wolf demon.

"Kouga," Sango began. "What happened out there?"

He drew in a breath before replying. "They… they broke up."

"What?" Sango and Miroku asked, stunned.

Kouga drew in another breath before explaining. "Inuyasha broke it off with Kagome."

"… but why?"

"Cause… he… he saw me and Kagome kissing."

"Why the hell were you two kissing?" Miroku suddenly hissed. "You kissed her, didn't you? Why the fuck would you do such a thing?"

Kouga stared, surprised at his sudden outburst, before his eyes narrowed and he glared at Miroku. "Why do you care so much? Butt out of this, asshole. What do you know about Kagome and me, anyway?"

"Admittedly not all that much," Miroku countered coolly, "but I sure as hell know a lot about Inuyasha! He does have feelings too, you know. Just imagine how much it would hurt you to see someone you loved kissing someone else." He stared at Kouga, expression turning into one of disappointment. "Kouga, you should know how that feels."

There was a pause.

"…betrayed." Kouga muttered.

"What?" Sango asked, confused.

"Seeing Kagome and Inuyasha… when they first started their relationship… I felt betrayed."

"If you felt betrayed," Miroku pressed, "why would you go make Inuyasha feel that way? Sure, you probably wanted revenge or something, but why would you hurt Kagome in the process?"

A silence hung over them. By this time, the cafeteria was completely void of all students, except for Sango, Miroku, and the struggling Kouga.

"I…" he choked. "I'm going to sign out for today. See you guys tomorrow." And with that, he positively ran out of the cafeteria.

oOoOo

Kagome collapsed onto her bed. No one was home yet—and when they would be, she'd just say she came home early because she felt queasy. And in fact, that wasn't a complete lie either. She did feel like throwing up.

Silently, tears fell from her eyes, dampening her pillow. How could he? How could Inuyasha just throw away everything they had developed? How could he just leave her? And even more, how could he hold Kikyou over her?

She remembered their first kiss, at his house…

_Kagome found herself staring deep into his golden amber eyes. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, as if it would burst at any moment. _

Inuyasha took her hand in his and placed the rose in it.

"I can go on about my feelings, but to put it bluntly: I love you, Kagome."

That said, he placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head upwards. Leaning down, he captured her lips in a gentle, sweet kiss.

After breaking apart, Kagome sighed and opened her eyes, hardly noticing that she had closed them.

"I love you too." She whispered, hugging him. He smiled and returned the embrace.

'Was that all a lie, Inuyasha?' Kagome wondered sadly. 'Were you just spouting a fountain of lies? That's probably it… just paint me over with your pretty lies…' she looked over sadly at the dried rose that hung on her wall. The very rose that he had presented to her that day.

'I gave my heart to you on a silver platter… and you went ahead and tore it to pieces. I don't understand… how could you lie? Just break it off like that? Doesn't anything about me… about us… matter to you?'

She was brought out of her trance suddenly when the phone rang. Getting up, she walked to her desk and answered it.

"Higurashi residence, Kagome speaking."

"Kags?"

"Oh… hi, Kouga."

"Uh… hey, are you mad at me?"

Kagome was silent for a moment. Was she? After all, wasn't Kouga the one who kissed her, which caused it all? She sighed. She couldn't.

"No, Kouga… I'm not angry."

"I don't really believe you, but… I'm really sorry Kagome… I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have done that, I know. I destroyed something you held precious, and now it's gone… you have every right to be fucking pissed."

Kagome said nothing. Kouga went on.

"But, dammit! I really did love you first… I've been harbouring a crush on you for… for god knows how long! When you started seeing that… that… asshole, I felt like he was taking you away from me. I mean, when was the last time we even had an official get-together?

"But I guess I never put my claims on you, so… you slipped through my fingers like that. What I did was wrong for sure, but I want you to know… I still love you, Kags. I always will."

Tears began to flood again. How come she didn't know this before? Why didn't she know this when she had a crush on him? Why, when real, sincere love was presented to her… she couldn't return it?

"But," Kouga continued to speak, and Kagome made herself stop crying to hear what he was saying. "Because I do love you, I need to know… do you still love him?"

The word came out before she could even think.

"… yes."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

AN: Hey look, for once, two updates in two days! It's a record, you guys. This _must_ go in the books. I tried to make it semi-long, at least longer than the previous chapter (bah, like that really showed... it's not much longer). Anyway... dun dun dun. Approaching the climax! Next chapter is Kouga's reflection on things. I'm such a helpless, weak romantic sap. Someone shoot me now. But then take the bullet out cause I updated so soon.

Much love,

Automatic Flower


	21. My Immortal, Part II

AN: … um. I don't know if I'm back into fanfiction, but maybe! I've been reading fanfiction again, anyway… and looking at fanart and whatnot. Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic; but hey. An update is an update, right? (Nervous grin).

- - -

**Caught in the Rain**

**Chapter Twenty One: My Immortal, Part II**

- - -

"But I guess I never put my claims on you, so… you slipped through my fingers like that. What I did was wrong for sure, but I want you to know… I still love you, Kags. I always will."

Tears began to flood again. How come she didn't know this before? Why didn't she know this when she had a crush on him? Why, when real, sincere love was presented to her… she couldn't return it?

"But," Kouga continued to speak, and Kagome made herself stop crying to hear what he was saying. "Because I do love you, I need to know… do you still love him?"

The word came out before she could even think.

"… Yes."

- - -

Kouga sat on the window seat of his piano room idly, watching the rain plitter-platter on the glass and create puddles on the ground. Drops of water collected on a leaf, and fell, splashing to the ground as it grew too heavy.

And indeed, his heart felt heavy.

He'd thought over their phone conversation. After hearing her answer, Kouga had simply acknowledged her answer and bid her goodbye, apologizing once more. Perhaps the awkwardness in their friendship would fade; but as of now, he didn't think he could face her quite yet.

Finally rising, he walked over to the ebony grand piano in the center of the room, and sitting down, began to play a tune from heart.

_I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone_

Kagome, Kagome… what a beautiful name; the most radiant thing to ever grace his lips. And yet, even though they were such close friends, she was out of his reach. Yesterday's motion would have guaranteed it. They would never be lovers; only the best of friends.

_These wounds won't seem to heal  
This pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

And yet, really, what could he do about it? Kouga thought. She had already slipped from his grasp, and he knew. It hurt him, but he acknowledged it. Would he be forever jealous of Inuyasha? Maybe, maybe not. Time would tell, but for now, it was too early to move on from the love he felt for Kagome. How had his friendship turned into love? Somehow, it had happened right under his nose, without him knowing it until it was too late. If you put a frog in boiling water; it will jump out right away. But if you put the same frog in cold water and then slowly heat it up, it will die.

'How pathetically accurate,' Kouga thought.

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have  
All of me_

'Tell me Kagome, tell me for real… what do you see when you see me? Do you see my emotions? My love for you? Do you see how strong your hold is on my heart, mind, and soul?' No… how could she, after all?

_You used to captivate me  
By your resonating light  
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind  
Your face it haunts  
My once pleasant dreams  
Your voice it chased away  
All the sanity in me_

One day, a goddess, ever so beautiful, had walked into his life and stolen his heart. She refused to return it. And then she had walked away, still holding his heart, and he didn't know if she'd ever come back to him.

'How is it that one smile from you is the death of me? How did I fall for you, when we agreed that were so close, closer than even brothers or sisters? I remember promising you that those who fell for you would have to answer to me first. How ironic it is, that now I find it's not them; but I who have fallen for you?'

Kouga continued to play, the chorus filling the empty chambers of his heart, a substitute for the kind of love he knew he would never get from the one he most adored.

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone  
But though you're still with me  
I've been alone all along_

He had tried. He hadn't been direct enough; and he had lost her. Though they had been friends for so long, and knew what the other meant without exchanging words; how could this one emotion he felt, that was supposedly stronger than all the rest, could not get through to her? How was it, that even though he had been with her for so long, endured so many years, found himself watching as she fell in love with someone else?

His heart knew not of jealousy or anger anymore. His vision blurred; melancholy settled in. It was long after the song ended that he realized the rain wasn't the only thing falling.

- - -

AN: Personally, I think Kouga's way too dramatic in this chapter, but the song was really getting to my head. I wanted him to sound more casual, but then it didn't turn out right. So I just settled for this; tell me if it's horrible, haha. Please review. :)


	22. A Friend Indeed, for a Friend in Need

AN: I'm going to start to try to write longer chapters… (realized how facking short the last chapter was).

And er… yeah, I realize how long it's been since my last update. Oh well.

**IMPORTANT:** **In the previous two chapters, Kagome stated she was having a slumber party "this weekend", and then Inuyasha invited Kagome to a winter festival "this weekend". Ok, I messed up there. Winter festival is the weekend after the one coming up. So the time at the start of the chapter (not the recap) is Wednesday.**

Disclaimer: Not miiiine…

Underlined – More stuff I don't own.

- - -

**Caught in the Rain**

**Chapter Twenty Two: A Friend Indeed, for a Friend in Need**

**- - -**

_He had tried. He hadn't been direct enough; and he had lost her. Though they had been friends for so long, and knew what the other meant without exchanging words; how could this one emotion he felt, that was supposedly stronger than all the rest, could not get through to her? How was it, that even though he had been with her for so long, endured so many years, found himself watching as she fell in love with someone else?_

_His heart knew not of jealousy or anger anymore. His vision blurred; melancholy settled in. It was long after the song ended that he realized the rain wasn't the only thing falling._

- - -

The next few days saw Kagome in a highly less jaunty attitude. She had developed shadows under the eyes, and her hair lost its natural shine. The slumber party had been cancelled, and it was safe to assume Inuyasha's invitation to the Winter Festival was no longer standing. Kagome arrived to school one day with black eyeliner circling her eyes heavily, and Sango became alarmed. That just wasn't normal Kagome behavior. She confronted her friend in first period.

"Kagome… are you alright?" Sango knew it was a stupid question, but she wasn't sure how to approach her friend right now.

"Sure…" Kagome replied wearily. "I'm just… tired, I guess."

Sango figured that she was wearing makeup to cover up the bags under her eyes.

"Listen… why don't you talk things over with Inuyasha? I'm sure he's cooled off by now…"

"You don't understand, Sango… the look he gave me… I felt so hated, even _despised_. He looked so hurt, and at the same time, Kouga is also depressed. I can't let go of either of them, but if I don't, both of them will remain like this. I just don't know what to fucking do!"

'Well, that's the first time Kagome has shown much emotion in a few days,' Sango thought. That ought to be a good thing, though she didn't think frustration in and of itself was very good for anyone.

"I don't think he hates you, Kagome, how could he? You should explain what happened to him… he won't be able to hold a grudge against you. If he doesn't listen… well, we'll think of something. Plus, I'm here for you. Miroku and I are behind you a hundred percent, you got that?"

Kagome gave a small smile. "Thanks."

- - -

Inuyasha pushed around the food on his plate, not really eating anything. His brother Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at him.

"Not hungry?"

Inuyasha grunted in response.

"… woman troubles, I take it."

The half-demon snorted. "It's none of your fucking business."

"Well that's too bad, because I'm making it "my fucking business". What did you say to Kagome?"

Inuyasha snarled. "Look, the fucking bitch was kissing that asshole Kouga; I think I have a right to put my two cents in."

"Have you ever thought that maybe it wasn't Kagome who kissed him, but Kouga?"

"Same thing."

"No, Inuyasha. You can't berate someone for something they didn't do, and then mope about it and expect them to come running back. You dumped her, did you not?"

"Maybe I did. What about it?"

"You are going to apologize to her."

"No fucking way!"

Sesshoumaru massaged his temples. "My idiot of a brother, I'm trying to help you here."

"Well then fuck off, I don't want any help." With that, he rose from the table and left, locking himself in his room. Inuyasha sat down on his bed.

"What does that bastard know, anyway?" He muttered quietly.

- - -

Miroku's brow was furrowed in concentration. One move… one more move would make it or break it. He had an important job at his hands. Hardly daring to breathe, he leaned over, hand shaking slightly.

Suddenly, the phone rang and he jumped in surprised. The card bridge collapsed, hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades scattering everywhere. Miroku swore loudly, getting up and answering the phone.

"Hello?.!"

"… am I interrupting anything?"

"Oh, Sango. It's you."

"Um… alright then, are you sure I'm not disturbing you or anything?"

"You know that I'd give up anything for you, Sango," Miroku said huskily.

"Don't start."

He laughed. "Alright, alright. What's up?"

"It's… it's Kagome and Inuyasha."

Miroku walked over to his computer and plopped down on the chair in front of it. "They haven't been talking, huh?"

"Not a word. Kagome thinks he hates her… she's obviously really upset about this. She's lost a lot of sleep over it, and I think she's dropped a few pounds, too."

"Does Inuyasha know what really happened?"

"I don't think so… I haven't talked to him, and neither has Kagome. Kouga would never talk to him, so unless you've told him…"

"I haven't, actually," Miroku said quickly. "I was kind of hoping Kagome would tell him. Patch up their relationship."

"That's what I was thinking, but Kagome refuses to."

"And Inuyasha is stubborn as hell…"

"What can we do? Set them up? Normally I would, no problem, but it's just that Kagome is so depressed about all of this… I don't know if she's ready to face him yet. I mean, what Inuyasha said to her was pretty bad, too."

"Huh? What did he say, exactly? I know he broke it off with her, but that's as far as my knowledge goes…"

"He called her a whore… and then put her down by comparing her to Kikyou, saying how Kikyou was better than her…"

"Seriously? Inuyasha really said that? Who'd you hear from, anyway?"

"Kouga told me two days ago."

Miroku hesitated. "Kouga…? I don't know, Sango… Inuyasha can be a jerk, but I don't think he'd say that stuff."

"No, I'm sure he did… Kouga can be stupid too, but he's no liar. And besides, Kagome wouldn't be so hung up about it, otherwise."

"True," Miroku sighed. "Damn, I was hoping Inuyasha wouldn't have said something like that."

"Likewise. He pretty much just lashed out at her… but you know what? If Inuyasha were to apologize and whatnot, I'm ninety nine percent sure that Kagome would welcome him back with open arms. If he made a move, she wouldn't be able to hold anything against him."

"Well, we've got to convince him then. I'll bet you Sesshoumaru is trying," He chuckled.

- - -

Sesshoumaru sighed. Inuyasha was so dense sometimes. He was considering popping an Advil when he heard the front door open and close.

"Sesshoumaruuu?" A female voice called out. He heard the rustling of a coat, and went to greet them.

Kagura was taking off her shoes. "How's my Sesshy doing?"

The demon chose to ignore the nickname his fiancée had given him. "Badly. On the other hand, where did you just come from?" The two went into the kitchen and Sesshoumaru began preparing some tea. "I thought you got off work at four."

"Oh, I decided to deliver some assignments to Kagome Higurashi since she missed class a few days ago. Poor girl looked exhausted; she looks thinner than before. Had these bags under eyes… wait, isn't your brother dating her?"

Sesshoumaru snorted, setting two steaming cups of green tea on the table. "How ironic… I was just talking to my brother about that."

"Hm? What do you mean?" Kagura asked, sipping from her cup.

"The stupid twit dumped her."

Kagura frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know myself, but he won't say anything, either."

"Well that explains her appearance… what are the odds that Inuyasha did something stupid?"

"Quite high, I'm afraid."

"Poor loser."

- - -

The next day, Kagome arrived at school with the same black eyeliner. Sango was starting to seriously worry about her friend. It was time to take matters into her own hands. In third period, Sango prodded the tired girl in the back with her pencil. Kagome turned around.

"Got any plans for lunch?" Sango whispered. Kagome shook her head.

"Want to join me for ice cream? My treat."

"Sure… thanks for offer." Kagome said appreciatively.

For the rest of the period, Sango listened to the teacher drone on about international laws and world politics. Who cared, anyway?

- - -

"So, which ice cream parlour? Greg's?" Sango asked Kagome while she secured her lock. The raven haired teen was leaning against the locker next to hers.

Kagome shrugged. "Anywhere is fine for me."

"Greg's it is, then."

The walk to the ice cream parlour was short, only three minutes away from their school. Upon entering the small shop, the bell attached to the door chimed. A teenage boy with brown hair dressed in a white cap and apron stood behind the counter.

"Higurashi? You look different."

Kagome stared at him. "Hojou-kun! What are you doing here on a school day?"

Sango observed the boy. 'Hojou…? Ah, isn't he that guy who Kagome collided into at the start of the year? I remember now…'

"Ah well, you see, I only had one class today, which was first period, and the other guy was sick today so I decided to fill for him. What would you like? Oh, Taiji-san! _Gomenasai_, I didn't see you there. Are you ordering, too?"

'This kid talks a lot…' "I'm buying for the both of us. I'll have a double scoop of roasted marshmallow in a cone, please."

"Coming right up! And for you, Higurashi?"

"Oh… er… I guess I'll have a scoop of mocha in a cone."

Five minutes later, Kagome and Sango were seated at a wooden bench in the school grounds. The wind was chilly, but thankfully both girls had their jackets on.

Kagome sighed. Sango gave her a questioning look.

"I… I wish Inuyasha would talk to me." The raven-haired girl said, eyes downcast.

Sango frowned. "Has he been ignoring you?"

"Well, if you mean he doesn't speak to me anymore, yes…"

"Have you tried talking to him yet?"

"No, actually," Kagome admitted.

"Why not? You should. Miroku and I hate to see you guys like this."

"Yeah, but… I don't know Sango, I'm scared."

Sango placed a comforting hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Scared of what? If you try, I'm sure you guys can work it out. You can't stay like this forever."

Kagome looked so tired. "I guess so…"

"Don't be like that Kagome… I know you're strong, but you're letting this get to you too much!" Sango was on her feet by now. "You're letting him hurt you!"

"I can't really help it, Sango." Kagome spoke quietly, not looking at her friend.

"Are you going to mope about it forever then?"

"No, I don't to either but… right now I just can't let him go yet. Please understand this, Sango. I'm not ready yet."

Sango was silent for moment, before she sighed and sat down again. "Alright. I understand, you need time. But we have Friday off, and we're going to make it a girl's day out, you hear me!"

Kagome gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks for being here for me, Sango-chan."

The dark haired girl returned the grin. "Hey, what are friends for?"

- - -

Friday morning finally rolled around. Sango got up early, and showered quickly. She threw on a fairly simple outfit—brown form-fitting corduroys and a white sweater. Drying her hair, she picked up the phone and called Kagome. It rang three times before she picked up.

"Higurashi residence."

"Kagome-chan, it's me! Almost ready to go?"

"Oh, Sango-chan! Um, I just got out of the shower. I'll be ready in a bit."

"Alright, I'll come pick you up and then we'll head over to the mall."

"Sounds good to me."

"See you soon!"

"M'kay then. See you."

Sango hung up, and grabbed a brush, running it through her hair before putting it up in a high ponytail. She snatched her purse before going downstairs. Her father was seated in the kitchen, sipping coffee and reading the paper. She could hear explosions coming from the living room, which meant that Kohaku was probably already blowing things up on PS2. Kirara purred, winding around Sango's legs.

"Morning Kirara," Sango said. She entered the kitchen. "Hey dad, can I borrow the car?"

Sango's father looked up. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah," she replied, opening a cupboard and taking out a bag of cat food. "I'm heading to Kagome's, then we're going to the mall." She bent down and filled Kirara's dish. The cat purred delightfully before digging in.

Mr. Taiji took a sip of coffee. "Well, I don't see why not. As long as you're careful, it should be fine."

Sango put the cat food back into the cupboard before straightening again. "Thanks!"

"The keys are on the table in the foyer."

Heading to the foyer, Sango slipped on a pair of stylish black loafers and an off-white windbreaker. She took the car keys from the table.

"Bye Dad! Bye Kohaku!" She hollered, leaving the house. The family car stood in the driveway—a silver SUV. Unlocking the doors, she got in and started the ignition, before backing up and driving towards the Higurashi shrine.

- - -

Kagome was just slipping on a navy bare-shouldered sweater along with white jeans when her mom called for her.

"Kagome? Sango's here."

"Coming!"

Picking up a small silver purse, she turned off the lights in her room and headed downstairs. Sango was seated on her living room couch, talking to Souta. Kagome smiled, glad of what a good friend she had. They had known each other since the age of ten, and had been inseparable after that. Sango was, in all honesty, like a sister to her. The two families were practically one family, along with Kouga and his parents. Recently, they hadn't had the time to get together and catch up, but they were still fiercely close, sharing a bond that ran as deep as blood.

Souta was blabbing away happily about his latest triumph in a video game. "… and then I came to the BOSS, who was huge! I was _this_ close to dying, but that last combo totally saved my life!"

Sango chuckled at that, used to the gaming-talk from her own brother. "Bet that was fun, huh? Well I'm sure if you beat the game by today, Kagome will buy you a new game."

The mentioned girl grinned, placing one hand on her hip. "Don't count on it, kiddo."

Souta stuck his tongue out and his sister and went back to watching TV.

"Well, you all set?" Sango asked. "I managed to borrow dad's car, too."

"Great," Kagome nodded. "Let's go."

They bid goodbye to Mrs. Higurashi and Souta, and were off.

- - -

"Man, check out those girls…"

"Oh, sizzle…"

"… dude, they're so hot…"

"Which one should I get?" Sango asked her friend, holding up two empire-waist tank tops while ignoring the whispers, ogles and stares. "The red or the white one?"

Kagome pondered for a moment. "Red. The colour flatters you more, I think."

"Red it is." Sango took the shirt to the cash register, Kagome trailing behind her. The taller girl gave her quiet friend a glance. "Not getting anything?"

"Nah, don't think so…"

"Kagome," Sango put her hands on Kagome's shoulders and looked her in the eye seriously. "You are going to enjoy this day to the max, and I will make sure of it. You aren't getting away with being depressed while you're with me, oh no. You, girl, are going to shop. Now. Go pick something."

Kagome grumbled. "Yes, master."

"Now that's more like it."

After selecting and purchasing a simple white skirt, the two moved on to the next store, which was full of little trinkets and glass figurines.

"Ooh, this one is so cute!" Sango pointed to a small sculpture of a fawn grazing. "Maybe I'll get it for Kohaku."

Kagome smiled. "I'm probably going to get Souta Kingdom Hearts Two or something. He'll like that."

"I'll bet," Sango said as she carried the figure to the cash register and paid for it. "Shall we get smoothies for ourselves?"

Gasp. "Oh my god! Yes! I haven't had one in ages!" Kagome exclaimed, showing the most enthusiasm in days. Sango grinned. Her friend was hardly ever sad or down, and when she was she didn't stay for too long. One of the wonders of Kagome.

"Well are you waiting for? Let's go get some!"

- - -

Boring chapter, I know. Originally I wanted to make it longer, but I got bored too and just wanted to post it. The next part of the "girl's day out" and sleepover will be next chapter.

Review, please!


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